Sunflowers Along the Road
by Florencetheflowerfairy
Summary: Taichi and Koushirou never expected to become friends. They never expected to fall in love. And they certainly didn't expect to be loved in return. But the desire to know and the courage to speak was always there. [For Taishirou Week 2018]
1. The King and His Knight

Taishiro Week Day 1: Family / Flashback

 _Digimon Adventure_ does not belong to me.

Chapter 1 presumes the reader's familiarity with Taichi and Koushirou's backstories. It will be confusing if you don't remember. Because I want my story to be accessible, I included a summary of their backstories at the end this chapter.

Chapter 1 deals with elementary school bullies.

* * *

 **The King and His Knight**

Koushirou was already packing his bag when the bell rang. He slipped in his binder and pencil case, and he made sure that his laptop was safely secured. Footsteps shuffled around his desk. A group of girls laughed in harmony. But Koushirou didn't dare raise his head to watch his classmates leave the room. He held his breath and sat perfectly still.

Saionji was still sitting behind him.

Koushirou fixed his gaze on his laptop and refastened it again in his bag. He rationalized that he should probably wait longer. Saionji was impatient and he would leave eventually. But Koushirou felt impatient too. He could see the taller boy in his mind's eye, sitting behind him and smirking, staring at the back of Koushirou's bare neck. Koushirou's breathing quickened. He carefully pulled his backpack onto his shoulders, while still sitting safely in his chair. Then he grabbed the edge of his desk and pushed himself to his feet. He kept his eyes on the gray floor as he walked forward.

A familiar force hit his shoulders and the gray floor rushed towards his face. Koushirou yelped and closed his eyes. He moved his arms forward but not fast enough as the ground slammed into his cheek.

Saionji laughed above him. Koushirou heard the boy step over his body and then walk away. He kept laughing as he left the classroom.

Koushirou took a deep breath and sat up. The first thing he did was to check his backpack; his laptop was still in one piece. Then Koushirou rubbed his hand on his cheek; it stung, but he wasn't bleeding. Koushirou pulled his computer out of his bag and opened it so he could check his reflection on the black screen. There was definitely a bruise on his cheek now. The boy sighed and put his laptop away.

Hopefully the pink mark would disappear by the time he was home. He didn't want to tell his parents about Saionji. And Koushirou hated being in a position where he had to lie to them.

Koushirou was the last person to leave the classroom. He liked that the school hallway was quieter now. He finally lifted his eyes from the floor so he could see where he was going. Outside the windows, the sky was blue and beautiful. Cicadas buzzed, beckoning him.

"Taichi, you're not acting like yourself…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Koushirou froze. He lost interest in the cicadas. He turned to the classroom to his left; the door was slightly ajar.

"You know what I mean—"

"I always act like myself. That's the only way I _can_ act, Sora."

"You've been quiet all day."

Koushirou didn't even hesitate. He peeked through the door frame and listened carefully. Taichi and Sora were his two favorite teammates on the soccer club. What happened to them? Why were they staying late after school?

"Am I not allowed to be quiet? Geez." Taichi's voice was stiffer than normal. The two children were standing by the blackboard in front of the classroom, but Taichi's back was towards the door, so Koushirou couldn't see his expression. He could see Sora's face; thankfully, she was focused on Taichi. She looked worried.

"You know you can talk to me, right? You're my best friend." Sora fiddled her hands. "You can tell me anything and I won't judge. You don't have to be intimidated around me."

"Intimidated?" Taichi scoffed. "I know all that already! Why would I be intimidated by you?"

"Because… Never mind." Sora exhaled. "Your eyes have been red all day."

Taichi fidgeted. "So?"

"So you've been holding back tears all day and I'm worried about you!"

Taichi wiped his eyes and looked at the blackboard. Koushirou still couldn't see his face. "I'm sorry. You can't understand. You're a girl."

Sora's eyes flashed dangerously. "Excuse me?"

"Girls can cry all they want and it's no big deal. Boys can't."

"How dare you!"

Taichi shrugged. "It's true."

"That doesn't even make sense! I've seen you cry before—like when we won our last game. You didn't hide it then. You're not that kind of person."

"That was different. Why are you getting so upset about this?"

"The reason that you're my best friend is because you're the only person who doesn't treat me like a girl!" Sora's voice was louder.

"But you are a girl? Now you're not making sense." Taichi hesitated. "What's wrong with treating girls like girls anyway? If I had been gentler with her, then…"

"Because it's not fair!" Sora cut him off before he could finish his sentence, to Koushirou's disappointment. Then Sora pushed past him and walked to the door. Koushirou panicked and ducked out of the way.

Sora marched out the door and didn't notice the small boy hiding behind it. She wiped her eyes and hurried down the hall. Koushirou stared at her as she left, wishing he could say something comforting. But comforting people wasn't his forte, no matter how hard he tried to understand them—

The door burst open again and smacked Koushirou on the nose.

"Sora!" Taichi leapt into the hallway and called his best friend, but she was already gone. "I'm sorry! You were right—I didn't mean any of that!"

"Oww…"

Taichi whirled around; he saw a familiar child covering his nose with both hands. "Koushirou?!"

Koushirou's face turned beet red. He let go of his face and bowed. "Hello, Taichi…"

"What are you…" Taichi blushed as well.

" _I'm sorry!"_

" _I'm sorry!"_

Both boys apologized at the same time.

Koushirou stammered. "I-I shouldn't have eavesdropped! I knew it was wrong. This is the s-second time I've listened when I wasn't sup-p-posed to—I'm so nosy!"

Taichi slumped, as if he didn't hear him. "First Hikari, then Sora, now you… I hurt everyone I care about."

Koushirou stopped stuttering. Now that he could see Taichi's face, he understood Sora's earlier words. The older boy had watery red eyes. Taichi was normally a ball of sunshine, but he had lost that trademark energy today. Koushirou had never seen Taichi look like this. Taichi was always the first person to pick up everyone's spirits when they lost a game. So to see him taking the blame for bruising Koushirou's face—it was more than Koushirou could bear. Koushirou forgot everything else in that moment.

"Taichi, that was an accident. You didn't mean to hurt me," Koushirou said in his most logical tone of voice.

"That doesn't matter," Taichi said dully.

"Of course it matters! That's a huge difference!" Koushirou argued. "You're not the kind of person who likes hurting people. There are plenty of people like that at this school, maybe even the majority, but you're not one of them. You're not even the reason my face is bruised!"

Taichi stared at the younger boy. He no longer looked gloomy, but his gaze was intense, and Koushirou felt frozen in his shoes. He worried that he was talking too much. Then Taichi stepped forward and cupped Koushirou's cheek in his hand. Koushirou's eyes widened.

"Who did this to you?" Taichi asked.

Koushirou's heart raced. He was an awful liar when people asked him specific questions, but his evasive instincts still kicked in. "Nobody! I mean, I'm the reason. I tripped when I got out of my desk. You know that I have terrible hand-eye coordination." Taichi's fingers felt warm on his face. It was hard to think about anything else.

Taichi blinked. Then he let his hand drop. "I see. I'm sorry… I thought that maybe you also…" Taichi touched his own cheek—then he crossed his arms. "Forget I said anything."

"Okay," Koushirou said obediently, even though he felt more curious now about what happened to Taichi. On the other hand, Koushirou was eager to change the topic. "You didn't hurt Sora on purpose either. You were just talking and you said something weird by accident. That's a normal thing that happens. Sora is nice, so she'll understand."

"Hmm, yeah," Taichi mumbled.

Koushirou felt ineffective. But he wasn't going to give up. "Maybe you should talk to your parents about whatever is making you sad? I bet they would be more competent—"

"No," Taichi cut him off.

Koushirou was silent.

"I'm sorry. It's that…the problem is that…I feel like I don't belong with my family now," Taichi said, staring at the floor.

Koushirou stared at Taichi. His brain was whirring and his heart was pounding faster and faster. He wasn't sure if Taichi would give him any more clues, so he tried to think of reasonable explanations for why his companion would feel that way, based on the limited information available.

But all Koushirou could think about was that night he stood outside his parents' bedroom door and eavesdropped.

"I often feel like I don't belong with my family either," Koushirou confessed.

Taichi looked up sharply. "What? But your parents always look so kind!"

Koushirou realized that he had said too much. He panicked. "They are kind! That's n-not what I meant! I'm sorry! I meant that we have different personalities and interests. That's all!"

"It's okay. You don't have to tell me everything," Taichi assured him. "I get it. It's complicated, right?"

Koushirou nodded, relieved. Taichi's voice was warm and soothing—much more effective than his own voice. Still, Koushirou noticed that the boy was squinting at him. Taichi even stroked his chin, as if he was pondering a complicated problem. Koushirou realized that Taichi was equally curious as he was about his companion's secrets.

It was a dangerous game, each of them trying to solve the other boy's issue without giving away too much information about himself. Koushirou didn't trust himself to win that kind of game. So he decided to play a different one.

"You don't feel like walking home either, right?" Koushirou asked.

"Uh…Not right away," Taichi admitted.

"Do you know what I always do when I feel sad?" Koushirou started smiling.

"No?" Taichi looked confused.

"I challenge my mind!" Koushirou's smile widened. His voice was suddenly self-assured. "I distract myself with brain teasers. I ask myself more questions and I work until I solve them. It's fun!"

"Ohhh…" Taichi grinned nervously. "That sounds…just like you!"

Koushirou stepped forward. Their faces were only inches apart. "Taichi, do you want to play chess with me?"

Taichi's jaw dropped. "What? You brought a chess board to school?"

"No, silly! We can play on my laptop! I always play chess by myself, but I can set it up so you'll be my player two!"

Taichi closed his mouth. It dawned on Koushirou that he just called the older boy 'silly,' and he started to feel silly for being so audacious. But then Taichi finally smiled his old sunny smile, and Koushirou stopped doubting himself.

"That's an awesome idea. Sure, let's try it out. But I'll warn you—I don't know anything about chess—"

"I'll teach you!" Koushirou yelled. He grabbed Taichi's arm and pulled him into the classroom. Taichi yelped and laughed in surprise.

Koushirou's eyes immediately found the electric plug on the wall, and he let go of Taichi to push a desk next to it. Taichi understood what he was doing and pushed a second desk against the first one, so that they could sit together side-by-side. Koushirou rapidly plugged in his laptop and booted it up, while Taichi watched. He opened a program called _Warrior Chess 3000_ , and then the boys were looking at a screen of a digital chess board. Koushirou pushed the laptop so that it sat fairly in the middle of their desks.

"The object of the game is to capture the other team's king by putting them in checkmate," Koushirou began. "There's the white team and the black team. White goes first, so I'll play white since I'm more experienced. Okay?"

"Okay—"

"Great! The first piece you should learn about is the pawn…" And Koushirou was off, describing all the rules of chess, pointing at the various pieces on the screen. He spoke rapidly in an animated tone of voice. Occasionally he glanced at Taichi, worried that the older boy would lose interest. "…Do you understand?"

"Huh? Yeah, you just said that if the pawn reaches the other side, then it can become any piece it wants. I heard you."

"Yes! Excellent."

"But you'd always want to become a queen, right? Since the queen is the most powerful piece."

"Yes, that's what usually happens. But sometimes you might turn the pawn into a knight, if you have a good strategy for a knight's movement—"

"Yeah, I'm not going to get a good strategy. Don't worry about that."

"Ah—okay." Koushirou giggled.

"That's cool that the queen is the most powerful piece!" Taichi spoke up. "Since almost all the pieces are boys, you know?"

"Um…" Koushirou was thrown for a loop. That wasn't relevant to gameplay.

"Wait. But she's also probably lonely, being the only girl on the team…" Taichi turned somber.

Koushirou wondered if Taichi was still thinking about chess. "I don't think any of the chess pieces have a gender, since they're digital. It wouldn't make sense for digital beings to have a gender. At least, they would probably have different classifications, or none at all."

"Huh! I didn't think of it that way!"

"Yeah. Uh, I guess I never thought about it either."

"Ooh. I bet the knights could be girls too. Maybe they're girls in disguise! That'd be exciting."

"I never thought about the chess pieces' personal lives…" Koushirou chuckled in spite of himself. Then he remembered that Taichi had a younger sister, and he imagined that Taichi must be a good brother to her. "Anyway…"

"Right. Keep going."

"I've told you all the important rules and I'm bored. Let's get started." Koushirou moved a white pawn forward two spaces.

"Oh!" Taichi laughed in surprise again. "You're a hoot, Koushirou!" He thought for a minute, and moved one of his pawns as well.

Koushirou snorted. He had never thought of himself as 'a hoot.' But it sounded like a compliment… He shook his head and clicked on a white pawn to move to the space diagonal of Taichi's pawn. "Try capturing my pawn with your pawn."

"What?! That's not fair to you at all!"

"Please try," Koushirou insisted. His eyes were wide and eager.

"Fine. But I'm assuming that this is somehow part of your nefarious plan, to lull me into a false sense of security," Taichi drawled, making Koushirou giggle. He clicked on his pawn and then Koushirou's pawn. The screen turned black. "What?"

Then the screen changed to show a pixelated 16-bit illustration of a green forest. Animated versions of the black and white pawns jumped into view. The black pawn grabbed a shovel and dug a hole while the white pawn wasn't looking. Then the white pawn turned around and ran forward. It fell into the trap with an accompanying whistle sound effect. The black pawn cheered and did a short victory dance.

"Haha!" Taichi laughed.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Koushirou buckled over in his seat, clutching his chest. Taichi instinctively grabbed the boy's shoulder so he wouldn't fall over, but he had to laugh again at Koushirou's overreaction. "Aahh," Koushirou exhaled and sat up straight, looking positively delighted. "That joke gets me every time."

"So this is why digital chess is better than real life chess, right?" Taichi asked.

"Absolutely. You don't get this kind of quality material in the real world!"

"That's not true. You're quality material."

Koushirou blinked. He buried his face in his hand. " _Seriously_ , Taichi?"

"Absolutely!" Taichi laughed. Then he remembered that he was still holding Koushirou's shoulder, and he tried to let go as smoothly as possible, without being weird.

Koushirou shook his head, feeling flustered. He stretched his fingers over the keyboard and tried to focus on chess again, instead of on the silly older boy with his masculine wiles. He pulled his king-side knight into play.

The boys continued playing like that, taking turns and watching the comic animations whenever they caught a piece. Koushirou moved his pieces rapidly. Taichi tried to keep pace and not worry so much about winning, even though it was obvious in his eyes that he wanted to win. Koushirou gave him advice whenever he got stuck. Taichi resisted assistance until Koushirou reminded him that Taichi helped the younger soccer team members in the same way. That made the boy smile his sunny smile again, which was enough to melt Koushirou's heart. Actually, it was difficult for Koushirou to concentrate on his strategy whenever Taichi smiled at him.

But as long as Taichi was distracted from his sadness, that was the whole point…

Taichi moved his pawn to the end of the board. A pop-up window appeared, asking him to choose the pawn's next form. "I did it!" Taichi whooped and pounded his fist in the air.

Koushirou clapped politely. "Well done. Now you can evolve your pawn to the ultimate level, the queen—"

"I'm making her a knight."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Taichi clicked on the 'knight' option. The screen faded to black again, and there was an animated transformation sequence in which the black pawn grew taller and armor covered its body. Koushirou stared at the new black knight.

"That's cool. I never get to see that transformation sequence," he mumbled.

"Hikari likes knights now," Taichi explained matter-of-factly. "She told me last month that she was tired of playing Princess all the time. So I knighted her."

Koushirou sighed. "We're not playing make-believe, Taichi. Digital chess is serious!" He clicked on his bishop and zapped it across the board to capture Taichi's rook. In the animation, the bishop cast a spell that made the rook's pants fall down, showing its spotted underwear. The rook ran away in embarrassment, making the boys giggle.

"I know it's serious…" Taichi looked from the screen to Koushirou, then back at the screen, then back at Koushirou. Then he looked back at the screen, wearing a determined expression. He clicked on his new knight and moved it within reach of Koushirou's king. "Checkmate."

"Ahh…" Koushirou blinked. Then—he couldn't help it, he smiled brightly. "That was excellent, Taichi! Marvelous work!"

"I actually won?" Taichi was dumbfounded at his own brilliance. A new animation appeared where the white king threw his crown to the ground and stomped on it. Then a bunch of fireworks exploded over the black chess pieces, and they all did a victory dance. "What?"

"I'm so proud of you!"

"But I didn't know what I was doing! I was following your advice the whole time. I only won because I seized the opportunity when you moved your bishop out of the way… Hang on, you did that on purpose!"

Koushirou giggled and snorted. "I didn't tell you to move your knight there. I hypothesized that you would figure it out on your own, and you did. That was excellent!" He clapped his hands together, seeming so pleased with himself.

Taichi had to smile again. He had never seen Koushirou act like this before. So open, so talkative, so free. Taichi forgot everything else in that moment.

Then his eyes lingered on Koushirou's bruised cheek, and he remembered.

He reached forward with both hands and grasped Koushirou's shoulders. Koushirou stopped laughing and met his eyes, curious.

"Koushirou… Is one of your classmates bullying you?"

Koushirou bit his lip. "I…" The question was too specific. He couldn't lie to Taichi's face. He was too close. "That's… Why would you think that?" He didn't deny it.

"Because this isn't the first time I've seen you look hurt after class. I've wondered for a while."

"Oh…"

"Please talk to me."

There was a kind of desperation in Taichi's voice. Koushirou couldn't resist it. He nodded. "Yes… You hypothesized correctly."

Taichi grimaced and he gripped the boy tighter. "Who is it?"

"His name is Saionji. You don't know him."

"You have to tell an adult. Do you want me to talk to your teacher with you?"

Koushirou considered. He had expected that Taichi would want to punch Saionji, so the rational advice surprised him. Taichi was more level-headed than he had assumed. Koushirou finally shook his head. "No thank you. You shouldn't have to do that for me. I'll talk to my parents tonight."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

Koushirou nodded. He believed that he had to face his parents by himself. He knew, objectively, that honest communication with one's family was important, and that he had to improve in that area.

"Promise me that you'll tell them tonight."

"I promise." It was hard to look at Taichi's face. Koushirou felt embarrassed and vulnerable. Taichi let go of his shoulders and Koushirou sighed in relief.

"Thank you," Taichi said. He offered a smile. "I think you're brave to talk to your parents."

Koushirou's face turned red again. He didn't feel brave at all, certainly not compared to Taichi. But he felt too overwhelmed to argue. So he simply said, "Thanks."

"Hey, and thanks for showing me _Warrior Chess 3000_!"

Koushirou finally smiled as he put his laptop back in his bag. "You're welcome." The boys stood up and moved the desks to their original spots.

"Don't go so easy on me next time, okay?"

"You actually want to play digital chess with me again?"

"Yeah! It was fun!"

"You…you mean that?"

"Yeah! I especially loved hearing you talk so much. I want to see you at your full strength next time!"

Koushirou chuckled. "Okay. Then I'll win this game next time."

"Ha! Good luck with that—I'm the king of chess now."

Koushirou was so relieved to see Taichi smiling again that he didn't argue. He simply rolled his eyes, which made Taichi burst out laughing.

There was so much more that Koushirou wanted to learn about Taichi. But while digital chess was easy, conversations in the real world were hard. Still, if Koushirou fulfilled his promise tonight, and kept practicing talking, maybe he would make that conversation a reality someday.

It would become a reality in the digital world.

…

…

* * *

 **Koushirou and Taichi's backstories, summarized:**

Koushirou is adopted. He overheard his adoptive parents discussing this when he was little. However, he didn't tell them what he heard, and they didn't tell him the truth until the Vamdemon arc in _Digimon Adventure_.

When Taichi was little, he asked his sister Hikari to play soccer with him outside, even though she was sick. He assumed that she was healthier. However, Hikari fainted while they were playing and had to go to the hospital. Taichi's parents were furious at him and his mother hit his cheek. Taichi revealed this to Koushirou during the Dark Masters arc in _Adventure_.

Thank you for reading my story! Remember to write your thoughts below!


	2. The Correct Universe

Taishiro Week Day 2 – Cards

* * *

 **The Correct Universe**

Taichi crossed his legs on his bed, beginning to feel uncomfortable. He was playing _Fantasy Warcraft 3_ with Koushirou in his new room. With Taichi starting middle school in a few weeks, he and Hikari finally decided to split into separate bedrooms. It was a good opportunity to invite a friend over to play a loud videogame, without bothering anyone else. The _Fantasy Warcraft_ series featured giant dinosaur monsters and complex puzzles, which both Taichi and Koushirou enjoyed. Perhaps they each preferred one feature over the other. But they liked playing together most of all.

Still, it was getting increasingly difficult for Taichi to concentrate on gameplay, when all he could think about was—

"I gotta pee!" Taichi dropped his game controller and jumped to his feet.

"What?! _Now?_ " Koushirou mashed his controller's buttons furiously.

Onscreen, Taichi's orc avatar stopped defending Koushirou's wizard, who was overrun by velociraptors before he could defuse the bomb in time. There was an explosion and the 'Game Over' screen appeared.

"Taichi!"

"Sorry!" Taichi fled the room.

Two minutes later, Taichi practiced his best charming smile in the bathroom mirror. He anticipated that Koushirou would still be mad at him. And Koushirou could be difficult to impress. He patted down his hair and walked back to his bedroom. "Hey man, sorry for—" Taichi stopped and raised his eyebrows.

Koushirou was standing over Taichi's drawers, his hand inside an open box that Taichi kept on the top shelf. Koushirou squeaked like a mouse and spun around, his eyes wide and his face flushed. "I'm sorry! I was—cleaning!—I mean, of course I wasn't cleaning. I was— _gahh!_ " Koushirou sighed. "I was poking my nose in your stuff without your permission."

Taichi laughed. "Don't worry! I know you. I don't care if you look around my new room. I'm not hiding anything from you." Taichi sat back on the bed. Koushirou looked relieved.

"Thanks…" Koushirou cleared his throat. "Taichi, before we go back to playing and fixing your mistake—can I ask you a question?"

"Of course!"

Koushirou held up his hand. He was holding a card; Taichi recognized it immediately. The card had an image of Agumon on the front side, and yellow circuit lines on the backside. Taichi realized that Koushirou must have noticed the familiar card on top of his drawers. It was the kind of thing that would naturally excite his friend's curiosity.

"When we were in Vamdemon's castle, you asked me to solve the card puzzle to open the gateway to our world," Koushirou began. "I was able to solve most of it, but not the last part. There were two cards leftover for the final spot: the Agumon card and the Gomamon card. They were both child-level vaccine-type digimon. There was a fifty percent chance probability for either of them being the correct card that would take us home. Sora asked you to pick the last card…And I've always wondered. Why did you pick the Gomamon card?" Koushirou stared at his friend with an intense expression.

"Ohh haha!" Taichi fumbled and laughed. "I'm trying to remember what was going through my mind. You know, Koromon actually asked me that afterwards! He was insulted that I didn't pick him. I told him that I wanted to keep his card as a souvenir." Taichi smiled fondly, remembering the feeling of holding his digimon partner in his arms.

"I don't believe that," Koushirou said. Taichi blinked. Koushirou didn't seem to notice that Taichi was acting more awkward than usual. Even if he did notice, Koushirou was still determined to get a satisfactory answer to his question. "Psychologically, I doubt that you were thinking about which card you'd like to keep as a souvenir. The stakes were too high. I know you. You're a smart person. You must have had a reason."

"Thanks! That's flattering, coming from you." Taichi rubbed his forehead. "I'm trying to remember. It was stressful. Everyone was yelling."

"I would have picked the Agumon card."

"What? Why?"

"Because Agumon was yours." Koushirou realized what he said out loud and started blushing. "I mean! I think that everybody would have picked yours! Including Jou! After all, Jou was the first person to ask you to be the leader. We all wanted you to be the leader. So it would simply make more sense to choose your card."

"Huh." Taichi frowned. He hadn't thought of it that way. "But that's an emotional reason to pick my card, not a logical one. It doesn't make any sense under scrutiny."

"You're right," Koushirou admitted. "But I couldn't solve the problem logically. And human emotions have greater power in the Digital World than in our world. Like courage, love, honesty…So if there was no logical solution to the puzzle, perhaps the only solution was an emotional one, but it could still work in the Digital World. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah!" Taichi beamed. "I understand. That's genius!"

"It's hardly genius. I would have picked the wrong card. Why did you pick Gomamon?"

"Hang on. I'm trying to remember what I was feeling, not just what I was thinking." Taichi lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling for a minute. "…I remember that I was overwhelmed that everyone asked me to be the leader, but I was mostly feeling so grateful to you guys. Even after all the mistakes I made—like causing Agumon to evolve to SkullGreymon, or putting Sora's life in danger—you all still trusted me. I felt like I didn't deserve that. It was humbling." Taichi rolled on his side to meet Koushirou's eyes. "I was definitely grateful to Jou. He's more mature than me and I always knew that. So I guess…picking Gomamon's card just felt like the right thing to do. My way of paying Jou back for validating me. Picking Agumon's card felt selfish and wrong. The only reason I was the leader because you guys were backing me up."

Koushirou nodded eagerly. "That's so interesting! It sounds like it could have been the feeling of teamwork that ultimately opened the Gate."

"Thanks." Taichi sat up straight. "After I got the crest of courage, I had to learn to stick up for other people, not just me. That's always the braver thing to do."

"You've always been like that, Taichi."

"Thanks!" Taichi's smile was disarming. He didn't have the heart to argue with his friend. Taichi knew full well that he had an arrogant streak. Koushirou was too nice to understand that.

Koushirou blushed under the full force of Taichi's sunny smile. He turned around and carefully set Taichi's card back in the box. "Thank you for taking the time to answer my question."

"No problem. I never put my feelings into words like that. You helped me understand."

"Well, that's my job."

Taichi chuckled. He stared at the back of Koushirou's head, his bright red hair. "I am glad to have it as a souvenir, anyway. I miss him. And now that we have to live ordinary lives and go to school again, sometimes I start thinking that the Digital World was all a dream. But then I can touch the card, and I have proof that he was real."

"Yes. I appreciate having proof," Koushirou agreed. He finally sat on the bed next to Taichi. "I still have files saved on my laptop that Gennai gave me. For example, statistical documents about the various types of digimon. When I came home, I made sure that I transferred the Digital World files to a flash drive. And a CD. And another flash drive. So I have multiple copies of the evidence that those digimon existed."

"Wow thanks. That was really smart of you."

"I try." Koushirou stared at his knees.

Taichi hesitated. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yes."

"Do you ever wonder…if maybe I picked the wrong card? And we're actually living in a parallel universe to the one we were born in?"

"YES!" Koushirou shouted and grabbed Taichi's arm, a giant smile on his face. Taichi jolted back in surprise. Koushirou laughed. "I wonder about that _all the time!_ Oh I'm not worried of course! If this _is_ a different universe than the one we started in, then any difference between them is negligible. It still feels like home. So it's hardly an urgent question. But it is a _fascinating_ premise, isn't it? What if we're really aliens in this world? What if there are subtle differences out there that we just haven't noticed yet?"

Taichi grinned. It was rare to see Koushirou light up like this. "Yeah, you're right! I'll have to keep an eye out for that."

"Please do, and keep me informed."

"You're surprisingly chill with the idea of being an alien in the wrong universe!"

"So are you," Koushirou said defensively.

"Heh, yeah. Well, at least we're still together."

"Yes!" Koushirou looked overjoyed. "Even if we're in the prime universe—which is still the most probable situation—I still want to see all of the universes out there. Don't you?"

"Yeah. I do."

The boys were still for a moment. Then Koushirou let go of Taichi's arm.

"Uh, do you want to go back to _Fantasy Warcraft_?" Taichi asked.

Koushirou nodded. He picked up his controller again. "Don't leave me this time."

"I won't."


	3. Underwater Odds

Taishiro Week Day 3 – Soccer / Camp

* * *

 **Underwater Odds**

It was the first time Taichi had slept on a bed in weeks. He had barely even dozed on his couch during his brief sojourn to the real world. But this man-digimon-whatchamacallit being named Gennai had invited the children to his underwater house, served them dinner, and given them a room full of mattresses, blankets, and pillows. In spite of Taichi's suspicion of Gennai (why couldn't he have invited them to his house sooner?), he felt grateful to the old geezer. He crawled onto the mat next to Koromon, and he was out like a light immediately.

So Taichi couldn't explain why he woke up in the middle of the night. Koromon was still snoring. Perhaps Taichi was more anxious than he had let himself believe. After all, tomorrow was a big day. They would storm Vamdemon's castle—and finally return home.

Taichi rubbed his eyes and remembered his dream. Hikari was there, calling his name, reaching for him to come back. Taichi woke up before he could grab her hand. He was so close to her…But it would be so easy to trip up and make another mistake in Vamdemon's castle. Maybe even a fatal mistake this time.

Taichi shook his head, trying to stay focused. He sat up and did a headcount of his companions: Koromon, Gomamon, Jou, Sora, Pyocomon, Tentomon… Taichi frowned and scanned the rest of the room: Mimi, Palmon, Gabumon, Patamon, and Takeru and Yamato were snuggling for their last night together. But Koushirou wasn't present.

Taichi stayed calm. They were in a new place, and it was in Koushirou's nature to wander off. He shut his eyes and listened… There it was: the clickety-clack of typing on a keyboard. Taichi grinned. He quietly rose to his feet and followed the familiar sound. He slipped open the door.

Koushirou was sitting in the middle of a brightly lit empty room, typing away on his laptop. The walls were covered with colorful maps and charts of the Digital World and different types of digimon. It was all incomprehensible to Taichi, but it looked amazing nonetheless. He let out a low whistle.

Koushirou glanced up from his laptop; then he suddenly stopped typing. "Did I wake you?" he asked quietly.

"Nah man. I did that myself. I was just looking for you." Taichi closed the door and walked closer to his friend. "What are you doing?"

"I was just talking to Gennai about the Digital World. He taught me that digimon have three attributes: data, vaccine, and virus. He said that he doesn't have an attribute, so he isn't a digimon."

"What is he then?"

"He didn't say. I don't think he even knows what to call himself."

"Hmph." Taichi crossed his arms.

"Gennai eventually retired, but he said that I could stay here and copy his notes if I wanted." Koushirou gestured to the walls.

"It does look cool," Taichi admitted. "But you should come back to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."

Koushirou didn't budge. "Why would I want to sleep on my last night in the Digital World?"

Taichi considered. "Well, when you put it _that_ way…" He sat next to Koushirou on the floor.

Koushirou smiled. "I want to enjoy every last minute here."

"By taking _notes?_ "

"I like taking notes. I'm a fast typist," Koushirou said defensively.

"I know you are," Taichi responded. "It still sounds stressful."

"It is a little bit stressful. I don't know if I can copy everything on his walls before morning. And I don't even understand the digicode language that he writes in. Hopefully I can translate it later."

"Koushirou…" Taichi was both impressed and exasperated. Koushirou was taking on an ambitious project, a worthy project—but it also sounded like an impossible project. If Koushirou couldn't finish copying everything into his computer before morning, then not only would he be ill-rested, but he would feel discouraged in his abilities. He would lose confidence in himself before their last stand in Vamdemon's castle.

Taichi decided to do something about it.

"Let's go outside," Taichi suggested.

"I'm not finished," Koushirou argued. "Now is not the time for that."

Taichi bit his lower lip and tried to think of something that could possibly interest Koushirou more than Gennai's archives. "Let's go look at the floating lake and all the fish!"

Koushirou paused. "It is marvelous how Gennai lives in an underwater bubble at the bottom of a lake. I wouldn't characterize the lake surrounding us as 'floating,' though I know what you mean. I wonder how he keeps the liquid water from flooding the place without a solid barrier?"

"Want to check it out?" Taichi asked.

Koushirou frowned, knowing that he was losing valuable typing-time by talking to Taichi. And yet…he _did_ want to check it out. He closed his laptop shut and nodded.

Taichi smiled victoriously, and the two boys snuck outside through the front door. The lake surrounding Gennai's underwater house had been colored orange, violet and pink during sunset when they arrived. Now it was dark blue like the night sky far above. The moonlight shone through the liquid faintly, so they could still see the outlines of fish swimming past. But what impressed them most now was the sound. Since nobody was talking anymore, they could hear the water rustling safely around them. It was like the sound of small waves rolling on the beach in Odaiba, but the sound surrounded them even from above their heads.

Koushirou walked to the edge of the premise and removed his glove. He touched his fingers to the floating lake and smiled at the vertical ripples he created.

"That's awesome!" Taichi copied him and stuck his own hand in the water. He smirked, thinking about how Jou would probably warn him that he could bring the whole lake crashing down by sticking his hand in it. Of course, nothing of the sort happened.

"It is awesome," Koushirou agreed. "…Taichi?"

"What?"

"I've never thanked you for inviting me."

"Huh?" Taichi took his hand out of the water and wiped it on his shorts. "You don't have to thank me just for saying that we should go outside—"

"No no no, I didn't mean that. I was talking about months ago. When you invited me to come to Odaiba Elementary's summer camp."

"What? Oh!" Taichi turned pale. He realized what Koushirou was talking about. On the last day of soccer practice, Taichi had walked around the team and told all of the junior members that they should come to the school's camp in August. He promised that they would get to play more soccer and have tons of fun. Now that Taichi thought back on that day, he had taken special care to invite Koushirou, the shyest teammate. He promised Koushirou that he could spend time with him, Sora, and his sister Hikari. He said that Koushirou could bring his laptop with him to camp if he wanted.

He assured Koushirou that he would have fun if he went to camp. He said that he wouldn't let anyone bully him.

Taichi's shoulders drooped. "I'm sorry. I'm such an idiot."

"For what?" Koushirou petted a large black fish that swam by.

"If I hadn't invited you, then you wouldn't have come."

"Yes, that's why I'm thanking you!" Koushirou finally removed his hand from the floating lake and looked at his friend.

Taichi was irritated that he had to spell it out for him. Koushirou was only dense at the most inconvenient topics. "You'd be safer if you had stayed home."

Koushirou huffed. "Aren't you glad that I came? Haven't I helped out?"

"Yes! Of course I'm glad you're here! You've helped out _lots_ —more than anyone else, probably. We'd all be dead without you."

"Thank you!" Koushirou smiled proudly, a little smug. "I feel wonderful here. I've learned so much. I've seen so many cool things. I met Tentomon! And we won fights together! And I did get to spend lots of time with you after all. Even though we all thought you might have died for two months. But you got better!"

"Yeah." Taichi couldn't help but smile with Koushirou. His heart beat a bit faster. "I feel the same. I'm glad I got to know you better here."

"Me too…" Koushirou yawned and swayed on his feet.

Taichi gripped his friend's shoulder. "Let's go to bed," he said. "I need you in your best shape tomorrow. We'll fight more fights and solve more puzzles, just one more time. We can't do that without you."

"Okay," Koushirou finally agreed. He smirked. "You still haven't seen Atlurkabuterimon! I can't _wait_ to introduce you to him. He's _enormous!_ " Koushirou spread out his arms. "Even bigger than Metalgreymon!"

"Your bug is bigger than my dinosaur? Right, we'll see about that." Taichi kept his grip tight on Koushirou's shoulder and led the way back inside.

He watched Koushirou finally join Tentomon on the mat next to Sora and Pyocomon, and he felt oddly relieved as he lay down himself.

The odds of Taichi making a fatal mistake felt a lot lower as long as Koushirou was around.


	4. Anniversary

Taishiro Week Day 4: One Week [Our War Game]

Chapter 4 deals mildly with sexual themes between young adults, in a non-graphic way.

* * *

 **Anniversary**

 _Happy 'We Stopped a Nuclear Missile' Day!_

Koushirou drew a third explanation mark in chocolate frosting and smiled proudly at his handiwork. It was the first time he had baked a cake by himself. He had emailed his mother for recipe ideas, and she gave him several. The French opera cake recipe was by far the most complicated, but Koushirou still leapt at the opportunity. He remembered that Taichi kept talking about opera cakes for weeks after he visited France with Takeru in 2002. So this would surely impress him!

Koushirou had also accidentally set off the smoke alarm in the process of making his cake, which had caused their college dormitory to evacuate…but Taichi had been out all day and he didn't have to know that detail. Anyway, what was a March 4 anniversary without a few hectic surprises? The important takeaway was that Koushirou had successfully made a layered sponge cake with coffee and ganache and chocolate, and he had somehow lived to tell the tale. And it actually tasted delicious, if he did say so himself. If not as good as Michel Takaishi's cakes, at least more edible than Yuuko Yagami's.

Koushirou carried the cake to his and Taichi's dorm room, where Tentomon was putting up decorations. Koushirou had printed out copies of the encouraging emails they had received from children all over the world on that day, and Tentomon messily taped them to the walls.

"Mmmm! That smells good, Koushirou!"

"Thank you. You did a great job with decorating." Koushirou carefully set the cake on his desk. Then he brought out a large sheet of construction paper and wrote "HAPPY MARCH 4" on it. He borrowed the tape roll from Tentomon and they both hung the banner on the bunkbed.

Koushirou stepped back to make sure the banner wasn't lopsided. "Close enough," he said. He walked in a circle to admire the emails around the room, and he couldn't stop smiling.

"Taichi will be so surprised when he comes home!" Tentomon noted.

"Yes!" Koushirou agreed. In the past, both he and Taichi had always gotten together to celebrate March 4. This usually meant a sleepover with videogames. But now they were college roommates, so a 'sleepover' was hardly special. Koushirou impulsively decided that he wanted to try something new. After all, March 4 was their special day.

"When will he be back?" Tentomon asked, a hint of impatience in his voice.

"On Tuesdays, Taichi volunteers at the local elementary school's soccer club. He'll be here before dinner time," Koushirou answered, a hint of admiration in his voice.

"You used to play soccer! You could help him with that!" Tentomon noted.

Koushirou just laughed. "Right." He sat back at his desk. "I'm going to work on my coding assignment. You can rest."

But Tentomon sat by the window instead, watching for when Taichi would return.

Tentomon's wings hummed a calming buzz as Koushirou typed. The sun sank lower in the sky, until finally Tentomon turned on the lamp for his partner. Then Koushirou's stomach growled, and he realized that Taichi was running late. He picked up his cell phone and called him.

"Hey Koushirou!"

Koushirou grinned at the familiar greeting. "Hi Taichi. Happy March 4."

"Shit. March 4 was today?"

"Yep!"

"I thought it was on Sunday?"

"That was last year. This year March 4 is a Tuesday."

"Really?"

"Yes, Taichi. I'm looking at my calendar right now. It's definitely today!"

"Haha, sorry, that was a stupid question…"

"So when are you coming home?"

"Uh, about that…"

Koushirou froze.

"I'm at Hibiki's apartment. I told him I'd come over to his place after soccer practice, since he lives right there. I completely forgot that Tuesday was March 4."

"Oh…" Koushirou clutched his phone tighter. "Did I interrupt your hot date?"

Taichi laughed. "Don't worry about it. He's in the middle of cooking dinner for me."

Koushirou made an unintelligible noise.

"He's a really good cook. You've had his ramen, right?" Taichi asked.

"I don't remember."

"I'll have to bring you over next time!"

Koushirou laughed in a high tone of voice. "I wouldn't want to get in the way of you two!"

"You wouldn't get in the—um—well…" Taichi stammered. "I'm really sorry about this. I don't have an excuse."

"It's okay," Koushirou said automatically. "The anniversary is not as special now that we're roommates and we see each other every day. I understand why you forgot."

"No, no, it's still special…"

Koushirou smiled a little at that. "So when are you coming home?"

Taichi dropped his voice to a whisper. "That depends."

"Depends on what?"

"If I get lucky."

"Oh." Koushirou's stomach dropped. He felt lightheaded. "…Good luck," he whispered.

"Thanks! Haha, I don't know if we'll get that far tonight—"

Koushirou grunted.

"I honestly don't know what will happen. This was all sudden. I'll call you before I come home, okay?"

"Okay."

"I'm really, really sorry. I promise that I'll make it up to you."

"Taichi, don't worry about me. We can play videogames any day. I want you to have a romantic evening with Hibiki."

Taichi sighed in relief. A soothing sound. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Koushirou's voice was squeaky. "Bye!" He immediately ended the call.

Tentomon pulled on his pant leg. "Koushirou, are you okay?"

Koushirou shook his head. "Yes! I'm fine."

The robot ladybug buzzed his wings and fluttered higher so that he was eye-level with his friend. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Koushirou felt dizzy. "It's not a big deal. We were playing video games yesterday."

"You should have told him about your cake!"

"I didn't want to distract him. We'll eat it tomorrow."

Tentomon grunted, thinking loudly. "Hmm... Why don't you invite another friend over?"

Koushirou snorted. "Invite another friend to my and Taichi's anniversary of stopping a nuclear missile? Ridiculous. Anyway, we all live far apart now."

"That's not true! Sora's here!"

"Sora..." Koushirou squirmed in his seat. It was true that Sora attended the same university as Taichi and Koushirou. She lived in a separate dormitory. "But Sora feels _awful_ about March 4. She hates that she didn't answer our calls for help in time. Last time I mentioned it to her, I think she started crying?"

"If I remember correctly, that was in eighth grade."

"Naturally I haven't mentioned it to her since!"

"But she's probably more mature now."

"Um..."

"Also! March 4 isn't just the first time you defeated Diaboromon. It's also the first time we witnessed a jogress evolution! So that's a perfect reason for you to celebrate with Sora! Any excuse for cake!"

A smile tugged on Koushirou's lips. He and Sora had been the last two in their group to become jogress partners, right after Jou and Mimi. The first time he experienced that kind of bonding—after years of explaining the process to the younger Chosen Children, but never knowing how it _felt_ —was one of his happiest memories. Especially since it was clear to him that Sora had the biggest heart of everyone. (And, he had to admit, seeing Taichi and Yamato's reactions was _priceless_.) Feeling Sora's heartbeat, her grand symphony of emotions, was still overwhelming to Koushirou. In contrast, she seemed to have an easier time understanding him.

But then, Koushirou didn't think of himself as a particularly complicated person. He wasn't emotional.

"I think that's a fair reason for Taichi and Yamato to celebrate, but not Sora and me," Koushirou countered. "I don't want to bother her today."

Tentomon grumbled in defeat. Then his antennae zipped up when he got a new idea. "Speaking of Yamato! You should call him! And Takeru!"

"What? They're both out of town," Koushirou whined. He hated calling people on the phone. It was so stressful.

"Just to wish them a Happy March 4! Since they both helped."

"I mean, _technically_."

"Talking to people is good for you!" Tentomon affirmed, in the same tone of voice that Koushirou's mother used when she told him that eating lima beans was good for you.

"Hmm..." Koushirou's gaze trailed up the wall and lingered on a three-foot long poster of Yamato with his bandmates in the background. Taichi had hung up the poster as a joke the day before Yamato visited. He knew it would embarrass him. However, Taichi still kept the poster up after Yamato left. Koushirou didn't ask, but he suspected that Taichi simply liked looking at his handsome jogress partner. Tentomon had taped an email over his bass guitar, but Yamato still watched over the room with his sea-blue eyes. His blond hair fell perfectly into place. His lips were slightly parted even as he scowled.

Somehow, in spite of being just as standoffish as Koushirou, Yamato managed to be the most desirable person in every room. It probably helped that Yamato gave the appearance of being a tortured sensitive artist, while Koushirou gave the appearance of being a short, somewhat overweight eccentric.

Koushirou decided to call the less intimidating brother first.

"Helloooo!" Patamon's high voice answered the phone. "You reached the voice mail of…"

It dropped an octave to Angemon's voice. "Of Takeru Takaishi! My partner is not available…"

It dropped another octave to HolyAngemon's voice. "Please leave your message at the sound of the beep."

" _Yes! Good job!_ " Takeru chimed in the background, before being interrupted by the beep.

BEEEEP

Koushirou ended the call. No need to exert himself. He took a deep breath and called Yamato. Yamato answered on the second ring.

"Koushirou?"

"Hello Yamato."

"Hi."

There was a stiff pause between the two most awkward Chosen Children.

"What's up?" Yamato asked.

"Happy March 4!" Koushirou blurted.

"Right! Happy March 4 to you too. Ah, I always get my hair cut on this day."

"Fascinating." Koushirou was completely uninterested in Yamato's hair.

"Is that the only reason you called?"

"Yes…" Koushirou said sheepishly.

"Thanks. I'm glad you thought of me."

"You're welcome."

"I've been rehearsing all day. Not much of a celebration, heh."

"I see. I've been…doing homework."

"Good. Practical. What's Taichi doing?"

"I think he's having sex."

" _What?!_ "

"Gaah! I mean—not in this room!" Koushirou flew into a panic.

"Ah…Well. He…certainly gets around."

"Yes, he does." Koushirou's face felt hot. He sunk into his seat, wishing his molecules could shrink and vanish. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that out loud. I don't—I don't even know—I shouldn't gossip—"

"Hey, don't worry. I bet Taichi would drive me crazy if he were my roommate."

"Yeah, he does…"

"Don't let him bother you. Make sure you do something to celebrate, right? You deserve it."

Koushirou nodded. Then he realized that Yamato was waiting for him. "Thank you, Yamato. You deserve it too." Koushirou wondered what 'it' was even supposed to mean.

"Thanks."

Another pause.

"Bye Yamato." Koushirou ended the call. He sighed and dropped the phone in the trash can. "I'm not calling anyone else."

Tentomon rescued the phone, knowing Koushirou would want it later. His antennae drooped in defeat.

"Don't worry, Tentomon. I'm fine. Actually, there's a chance that Taichi won't get lucky. Then he'll call back. And he'll spend the night with me instead." Koushirou felt strange as he rationalized that. He knew that he was acting uncommonly selfish to want Taichi to be unlucky.

"Koushirou…"

"Right. Anyway! We can still have fun!" Koushirou set his phone carefully on his desk, and then he buckled over his laptop. He loaded the games he had been looking forward to play all day. Tentomon sat on a chair next to him so that he could watch his partner blow up virtual villains onscreen. Koushirou grinned and patted the digimon's head.

Koushirou moved through video game levels slower without his player two. Taichi was bolder and took riskier moves, while Koushirou's strategies were more cautious. But Koushirou grew more reckless as the hours progressed and evening turned to nightfall. His avatar character ran through hordes of zombies armed with a flamethrower and bombs, and she died repeatedly in the attempt. Tentomon nudged Koushirou's elbow to remind him that he needed to eat eventually, but his human didn't react.

Koushirou's character died again in a fiery explosion. He grumbled and slammed his laptop shut. Then he pulled his opera cake towards him and grabbed a spoon from his desk drawer. He dug out a large spoonful and started chomping.

"I don't need Taichi anyway," he said between bites. Koushirou tossed another spoon at Tentomon. "I was the real hero of March 4."

"Here here!" Tentomon agreed. The bug digimon nervously watched his partner gobble down the cake. He had lost his appetite to help him eat.

" _I_ was the one who discovered the egg. _I_ figured out it was a virus. _I_ realized what it was doing to the Internet. _I_ read all the emails—" Koushirou gagged but kept eating. "I ran all the way to his apartment! And for what? What did Taichi accomplish? Just the flashy showy bits! He got to have his big satisfying fight scene with Yamato. _After_ he nearly broke the computer. But—" He wolfed down a large bite. "He wouldn't have won if _I_ hadn't had the idea _all by myself_ to forward the emails to Diaboromon! Taichi would be dead a thousand times over if it weren't for _me!_ "

"That's right!" Tentomon said. "Uh, Taichi did help by calling everyone on the phone."

"Yeah…" Koushirou slowed down eating. Then he frowned again. "But he still made _me_ call Sora, even though she's _his_ best friend!"

Tentomon made a worried sounding buzz. Koushirou paused, his spoon in his mouth. His cake didn't taste that delicious after all. He swallowed and shoved the remainder of the messy dessert away from him. "I'm sorry. I'm being unfair… Also it's…really nice to have a friend who will talk on the phone for you. He still does that for me…" Koushirou wiped his eyes. He glanced at his watch; it was past midnight.

"You're tired. Let's go to sleep," Tentomon suggested.

Koushirou nodded and walked to the bunk bed. He tried to not let his imagination run wild as he undressed and pulled on his pajamas. _I'm being selfish. Stop it_ , he thought to himself. _I want Taichi to be happy. He's brave to be out of the closet and he deserves it_. He crawled into the bottom bunk and tried to get comfortable. But there was something hard underneath his back. Koushirou shifted his position and pulled out a heart-shaped box from beneath him. He recognized it as a box of chocolates that Hibiki had given Taichi for Valentine's Day. Taichi had been nibbling the chocolates in the top bed for the past two weeks; he must have dropped it into Koushirou's bed by accident. It was empty now.

Koushirou gripped the box furiously. "Taichi! Clean up your trash!" he shouted at no one. Then he raised his arm to throw the Valentine at the door—

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Somebody was pounding on the door. Koushirou froze. Then he leapt to his feet, the Valentine still in his hand. _Did Taichi forget his keys again?_

Koushirou forgave him immediately. None of his whiny complaints about Taichi mattered. _He would open the door, and Taichi would enter—and he would grab Koushirou's waist, sweeping him off his feet—pushing him back on the bed, their lips locked—his hands under Koushirou's shirt, Koushirou's hands tangled in Taichi's hair—Koushirou's hands caressing Taichi's bare back, memorizing his muscles—God, he wanted him so badly—_

Koushirou swung open the door.

It was Sora.

"Sora?"

She was panting. She leaned one arm against the wall, and her red hair was windswept. She wore a sweatshirt hastily pulled over her pajamas, and sneakers on her feet. She had clearly run all the way across campus to see him.

"What's wrong?" Koushirou asked, baffled. He tried to hide his disappointment. _What a stupid fantasy…_

"Koushirou…your heart…" Sora heaved.

"Eh?" Koushirou blinked. He looked down at the heart-shaped Valentine still in his hand.

"No, not that heart! _Your_ heart!" Sora stood up straight. She pointed at his chest.

"My heart?" Something in Koushirou's brain clicked. He suddenly smiled. "Incredible! You felt my heartbeat all the way from your dormitory! Has anyone else felt their jogress partner's heart from such a distance? Exactly how far is your dormitory from here? Two kilometers? Three? This calls for a scientific experiment! I have a meter stick in here. We can use it to measure—"

"Stop it!" Sora interrupted her friend's hysterical babbling. She clutched her hand to her chest. "You're in pain," she said.

Koushirou stared at her. Sora's eyes were misty. "Did I make you hurt?" he whispered.

"No. It's not your fault. I could have stopped the connection if I wanted. But I was so worried about you… What's wrong?"

Koushirou felt tears prick at his eyes. "I…" His whole body was shaking now. "I can't…I can't say…"

Words failed him. He was an awful, selfish friend. He wanted Taichi to be unlucky and unhappy. That's all Taichi would feel around him. Koushirou was a coward who couldn't even carry an honest phone conversation. Taichi deserved better. Sora deserved better too. Now he could feel her heart beating rapidly out of worry for him.

Everyone was better off when Koushirou wasn't so emotional. He wasn't supposed to _be_ a complicated problem. He was supposed to be a solver of complicated problems. A human extension of his laptop. He was useful that way. Nobody would object to him if he just shut up and fixed things. Certainly Taichi would not object to his presence, as long as he was useful…

He swayed on his feet and dropped the Valentine. Sora stepped inside and wrapped her arms tight around him. He leaned his head on her shoulder.

He finally started crying.


	5. The Modem Mines

Taishiro Week Day 5: Bad connection [Earth / Vadermon]

* * *

 **The Modem Mines**

Taichi wiped the sweat off his brow and forced a smile. He stretched his hand to Agumon sitting beside him and rubbed the dinosaur's shoulders. Then his eyes darted to the security guard standing next to them. The guard had been assigned to watch over the partners for the duration of their stay in the _Kantei_. He was silent, but his eyes judged the pair harshly. Agumon stared shamefully at the black granite floor.

It was enough to make Taichi want to lash out. But he wasn't about to do anything foolish in the Prime Minister's Official Residence. He had worked too hard for this meeting. Four years of studying the government in college. Dozens of phone calls to journalists and bureaucrats. Hundreds of miles driving up and down the country to speak to sympathetic politicians. And unsympathetic ones. Hundreds of emails to international Chosen Children, and a few expensive trips to meet some of them. Eight years of learning English; four years of learning Chinese. Plenty of doors slammed in his face.

And now he and Agumon were finally here, in the foyer of the _Kantei_ , waiting for an appointment with the Prime Minister's Cabinet. Taichi had spent a month practicing his presentation. He had radical ideas to create a new embassy for dealings with the Digital World. A place where human and digimon partners could have an official voice in the Japanese government. Once Japan got started, then his country would set an example for countries worldwide. Taichi believed that such an embassy could help ease the stigma against digimon. There were too many governments—including his own—that were hostile towards digimon and their children partners.

Now a college graduate, and technically an adult, Taichi was eager to be a voice for those children growing up like him.

He straightened his tie and dug a water bottle out of his briefcase to soothe his nerves. He knew that these politicians would be hard to impress. He should have gotten his hair cut again yesterday. It grew so quickly…

" _Taichi! Help me!"_

Taichi spat out his water and leapt to his feet. "Koushirou?" He looked around wildly. There was no sign of his red-haired friend in the foyer. He wasn't on the stairs or in the courtyard outside. The _Kantei_ 's glass walls made it easy to see all around him, but he didn't see anyone calling for help. "Did you hear that?" He asked the guard.

The guard huffed. "I didn't hear anything." He glared at the small puddle on the ground.

"Er, sorry," Taichi apologized. Agumon jumped on the floor and licked up the water to clean it. The guard made a disgusted noise. Taichi sighed and patted Agumon's head. He picked up his partner and sat down with him in his lap. "Did you hear anything?" he whispered.

Agumon shook his head. He looked too embarrassed to speak out loud.

Taichi frowned. Were his nerves playing tricks on him again? He had seen his friends in danger so many times. But he knew that Koushirou wasn't here. He closed his eyes and recalled their phone conversation from last night. It drew a smile on his face.

…

"You're going to be wonderful, Taichi. Don't even worry. Everyone loves you! How could they not?" Koushirou's voice was light and hopeful.

"Ha. Most politicians can't stand me. They think I'm a nuisance, but they like the optics of pretending to be nice to me…They're a rotten lot." Taichi adjusted his phone on his shoulder as he looked through his closet. He needed his most conservative, professional suit. Nothing that betrayed the slightest hint of a sense of humor.

"But there are some good politicians. You're going to be a politician, so they can't be all bad," Koushirou argued.

"You have a more positive attitude about my career choice than Yamato!" Taichi chuckled.

"Yamato has a negative attitude? Wow. Shocking," Koushirou drawled. "You're going to be sitting in the Prime Minister's seat someday. Keep telling yourself that when you give him your presentation."

Taichi laughed and blushed at Koushirou's faith in him. It was good that they couldn't see each other's faces.

"I'm grateful for what you're doing," Koushirou continued. "We need your voice in the government. You're far and away the best candidate to represent us. You know I'd be panicking the whole time if it was me. You're going to make the lives easier for a lot of children and adults like us. And digimon!"

"Thanks. I really hope so."

"I know so. And that's my crest."

"Thanks, Koushirou." It made him so warm inside, hearing Koushirou say those words. He knew how easy it was for Koushirou to clam up. But somehow, Koushirou could always speak freely to him. "Enough about me! What are you up to in grad school?"

"It's fantastic!" Koushirou sounded dreamy. Taichi couldn't wait to get out of college, but Koushirou seemed to enjoy it more each year. "They give me a lot of independence to study whatever I want in the Digital World, since it's a brand new field. Tomorrow I'm headed to the Modem Mines! My favorite place!"

"Yeah! You've told me," Taichi replied. The Modem Mines had become Koushirou's newest favorite spot in the Digital World. While their other human friends were drawn to palaces, forests, or lakes; Koushirou was enchanted by the dark, sprawling tunnels of the underground cave. There was so much area to map out, and so many secrets waiting to be discovered. Taichi had to agree that it was a cool place.

"Tentomon and I will be searching for the legendary Modem Crystals. Rumor has it that Modem Crystals show windows to parallel universes when you look into them."

"Whoa!"

"I know!"

"Do you believe that?"

"There's only one way to find out, isn't there?"

"Good luck." Taichi laid out his most respectable suit on the chair. "Be safe."

"I'll be fine!" Koushirou's voice was a tad exasperated. "I'm _just fine_ on my own, you know? I can take care of myself."

"I know. I know." Taichi smiled.

"Good luck to you too! Be our voice. I have every confidence in you."

"Thank you." His heart swelled. He finally felt ready.

…

" _Taichi! I need you!"_

Taichi sprang to his feet again. He held Agumon in front of him, ready to throw the tiny T-Rex at any source of danger. "Koushirou!" He shouted.

"What are you doing?" The guard asked, crossing his arms.

"Someone's in trouble! Can't you hear him?"

"Stop making up stories. The _Kantei_ is not your playground, boy."

Taichi whirled around, furious. "I'm not making anything up! My friend is calling me for help!"

"I believe him!" Agumon said. "Taichi doesn't lie!"

"Oh?" The guard raised an eyebrow. Taichi knew that Agumon's word meant nothing to him.

Taichi forced himself to ignore the man's scowl. He scanned the room again. He dropped Agumon, who immediately scampered around the floor, looking for any sign of Koushirou or Tentomon.

"Don't let it wander off!" The guard shouted.

Taichi walked to Agumon's side and squinted at the bamboo court outside. Koushirou wasn't there. Was it really just his imagination?

" _TAICHI!"_ Koushirou's voice screamed in his ears.

A formally dressed bespectacled woman walked down the stairs. "Taichi Yagami? The Prime Minister and his Cabinet will see you now."

Taichi threw Agumon over his shoulder and ran to her. "Is it possible to reschedule?"

Her eyes widened. "What on earth are you saying? Your meeting is now. He's seeing the South Korean president after you."

"Yeah, but this is important!"

"Mr. Yagami, you can't expect another opportunity like this."

Taichi's mind reeled. "Where's the nearest computer?!"

"There's a laptop in the meeting room and a projector for your presentation. Did you bring your flash drive—?"

Taichi sprinted up the stairs, bewildering the woman. His footsteps echoed loudly.

"STOP RUNNING!" The guard shouted. He quickly followed Taichi up the stairs. The woman ducked out of his way.

Taichi skidded around the corner and his loafers squeaked. He ran down the hall and heard the guard's footsteps thudding behind him. He threw himself at the large door and shoved it open.

Two dozen well-dressed ministers were seated around a long wooden table. They were mostly elderly gentlemen, with a handful of stately women. The prime minister sat at the head of the table on the other end of the room; he was typing on the laptop. Everyone looked up in alarm at Taichi and Agumon's sudden arrival.

"Mr. Yagami—?"

Taichi slammed his hands down on the table. "I need your computer! Right now!"

The prime minister frowned at the young man's impudence. "Mr. Yagami, you will wait your turn—aah!" He raised his arms. "What's happening to the screen? What are you doing?"

" _Please help me!"_

Agumon leapt off Taichi's shoulder onto the table and ran down the middle. The ministers seated at the sides shrieked; a few ran to the walls. Agumon ignored them. "I hear him now too!" The digimon yelled. The prime minister stared at the monster in shock, frozen in fear. Agumon snatched his laptop and ran back across the table to Taichi. He opened it wide for his partner. The laptop's screen was filled with static, but it was clearly the source of Koushirou's voice.

" _Taichi!"_ Koushirou's face flashed onto the screen. He was pale and dirty, and his eyes were wide with terror.

"YAGAMI!" The security guard barreled into the meeting room and grabbed Taichi's shoulder.

"I'm coming!" Taichi grunted and pointed his digivice at the computer. A stream of orange light appeared between the devices and enveloped him and Agumon. The man and digimon vanished, and the security guard clasped his fist around nothing.

Spinning through a whirlwind of brightly colored pixels, Taichi and Agumon transported to the heart of the Modem Mines. They stood in a chilly, pitch black cavern. Taichi took a step forward and his foot collided with something plastic. He picked it up; it was a flashlight. He switched it on, and saw that they were standing on the edge of a crevice. "KOUSHIROU!"

"Taichi?!" Koushirou's voice came from within the crevice. Taichi knelt on the edge and shined the flickering light below. Koushirou was twenty feet beneath him. He was hanging onto the side of the cliff with both hands, and Motimon was holding onto the man's shoulders. They both looked exhausted. "How the hell…?" Koushirou stared at his friend with wide eyes.

"Don't move! I'm coming for you!" Taichi gripped the flashlight tighter. His whole body was shaking.

"Why would I move?! Taichi, how did you know I was here?"

"Rescue first; questions later!" Taichi let out a strangled laugh.

"Uh, right! R-roger that!" Koushirou smiled weakly at his friend.

Taichi got back on his feet and nodded at Agumon, who growled and started glowing and growing into a much larger dinosaur. There was barely any room for Greymon to stand between the stalactites, much less to climb into the narrow space where Koushirou was dangling. Taichi patted his back and the monster understood. He turned around and let down his long striped tail into the crevice. Taichi climbed over the tyrannosaurus' hind legs and scrambled down. The space between the two cliffs was freezing cold. Taichi could see a cloud of his breath from the dim light still shining above.

He could barely make out Koushirou beneath him, stranded on the wall. Taichi slid to the end of Greymon's tail and gripped it tight with his left hand. He found footholds in the crags and leaned backwards, stretching his right arm down as far as he could. He grasped repeatedly at thin air. Koushirou was still out of reach.

"Koushirou, I need you to grab my hand."

Koushirou's eyes grew large, reflecting the light. He shook his head rapidly. "I can't! I'll fall!"

"You have to!"

"No! Taichi, you don't understand! We're in the Processor Pit, from the ancient Digital World legends. There is no bottom! You fall forever and you never stop falling. You starve and your body rots until there is nothing left, and only then do you stop falling—"

"You don't need to explain that to me because you're not going down! You're going up!"

"NO! I-I'm not like you! I can't do it!"

"Yes, you can! I'll catch you! Koushirou, I know you can do it. I believe in you!"

Koushirou panted, staring at Taichi above him. He adjusted his grip and wobbled. "Aah!"

Taichi winced. He grunted and strained his fingers a little farther. "Come on. I'm so close! You can reach me. I promise."

Koushirou studied the man's hand with laser focus. He started swinging his legs beneath him.

"NGAAAH!" Koushirou swung himself with all his might and lunged his right arm forward. He grasped Taichi's fingertips.

Taichi leaned down and fastened his hand tight around Koushirou's. "I got you!" Taichi felt himself slipping and he caught his breath. Then the end of the tail wrapped itself tight around his left hand, keeping him steady. Taichi shut his eyes and smiled.

He felt himself being pulled higher, lifted from the crags on the wall. He kept his grips tight around the people he loved. Then Greymon raised them over the top and set them safely on the ground.

Koushirou crumpled to his knees, gasping. The first thing he did was hug Motimon. Then he met Taichi's eyes and quivered. He started speaking very fast. "I-I'm so sorry. I'm such a fool. I evolved him to the Ultimate Level so he could keep digging in the caves. We were digging for six hours and thirty-two minutes, and then he had to devolve. I thought—I thought that I could keep going on my own with him on my shoulder. I should have rested, but—I didn't want to stop! And then—I tripped over my own flashlight that I dropped and I fell. You know I have terrible hand-eye coordination. Then I dropped the bag of food—!"

Taichi sobbed and threw his arms around him. "You're alive!"

"S-so I couldn't feed Motimon—"

"You're alive! I thought I'd lost you!" Taichi's sobs were loud and ugly. They echoed off the cave walls, filling the room. He ran his hand through Koushirou's matted hair and pulled his waist close against him.

"I was so, so stupid—"

Taichi kissed Koushirou's forehead, and Koushirou became silent. Taichi let go of his waist so he could caress the man's face and stare at him. He slowly stopped sobbing. "I was so scared," he whispered.

Koushirou nodded. "Me too."

"Are…" Taichi swallowed. "Are you all right?"

"Well…We lost our food and water, so we're both a little—"

"Water! Of course!" Taichi said too loudly. He let go of the man and grabbed his briefcase. He quickly retrieved the water bottle.

Koushirou took it gratefully and drank half of it. Then he coughed and gave the rest to Motimon. Motimon seemed too tired to even form words, much less hold a bottle, so Koushirou cradled him in his arms and fed it to him like a baby bottle. Taichi stared at the dirty man and his baby digimon by the dim light of the flashlight, transfixed. He thought that he had never seen a more heavenly vision. Koushirou finally met his gaze and blushed. Taichi blinked and remembered to close his mouth.

"How did you find me?" Koushirou asked.

"I heard you calling my name…"

"What?" Koushirou's eyes widened. Then he looked a little embarrassed. "I did say your name a few times. That still doesn't explain how you heard me in the real world."

Taichi shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters! This is a mystery and we need to solve it!"

Taichi crawled on his knees, closing the space between them, and grasped Koushirou's shoulders again, as if he was terrified of what would happen if he wasn't holding him. "Can we solve the mystery later?"

Koushirou sighed and leaned his head onto Taichi's chest. "I suppose so…"

Taichi wrapped both his arms around Koushirou and gently swayed, rocking back and forth. After such a long day, he finally felt peaceful.

"Taichi…"

"Yeah?"

"How did your meeting with the Prime Minister go?"

Taichi hesitated.

"Oh God…" Koushirou slumped weakly in his arms.

"That doesn't matter," Taichi said firmly. "I'll force them to reschedule. I'll make them listen to me. They can't keep me out. Every time I fall then I get back up and try again."

"I know," Koushirou said. "I love that about you."

Taichi smiled. "Thanks. I…" He sighed. The words were caught in his throat.

"Thank you for saving my life," Koushirou continued. "And Motimon's life."

"Y-yeah…" Taichi grinned and lowered his eyes, flustered. "Do you want to go back home now?"

Koushirou didn't answer right away. "May I show you something?" His voice was stronger now. More sure of himself.

Taichi nodded eagerly. "Yes."

Koushirou sat down and Taichi sat next to him. They both leaned against the cave wall, tired and shaking. Koushirou retrieved the flashlight and then pulled out something small from his pocket. He held it in his palm between them and shined the light on his hand.

It was a rough gem stone, cut from the wall by a bug digimon's talons and a man's pickax. Black as onyx, but it reflected all the colors of the rainbow like liquid oil. As Taichi's eyes adjusted to the light, he began to see other colorful shapes in the crystal's reflection. Then the shapes in the crystal became clear as images on a computer screen.

He saw a towering blue waterfall shrouded in mist. Then with a slight turn of Koushirou's hand, he saw red and yellow fires. Then he saw a vale of sunflowers.

A galaxy full of stars. Pink curtains blowing in the wind. Strange dog-like animals with antennae. A black ocean. A room full of flustered politicians…

Taichi turned his head and saw that Koushirou was already looking at him, smiling widely. Koushirou's smile extended all the way to his eyes, which brimmed with curiosity and sparkled like black diamonds. Here in the Digital World, near the center of the earth, that smile was hidden from everyone except for Taichi. Taichi grinned back at him.

" _Worth it."_

" _Worth it."_

They both agreed.


	6. Confession

Taishiro Week Day 6 – "If We Wait" [Tri]

* * *

 **Confession**

Koushirou sat on the edge of his chair, hunched over his computer. His nose was inches away from the screen. Surely, he must be close to finding a cure for the infected digimon. But then, he had been telling himself that for the past ten hours…

 _Knock! Knock! Knock!_

The sudden rapping on the door made Koushirou squeak and lose his already precarious balance. He fell off and the swivel chair rolled against the wall.

"Digi digi!" Taichi's voice rang out from the opposite side of the door. It was Koushirou's old password for the Chosen Children.

Koushirou grumbled from his awkward position on the floor. He grabbed the desk leg and pulled himself back to his feet. "I put a 'Do not disturb' sign on the door, Taichi! And I know you can read!"

"Come on, man. You're supposed to say 'Mon mon' and let me inside." The door knob jiggled.

"I'm close to finding an answer and I absolutely cannot be disturbed right now, not even by you. So please leave." Koushirou sat down and readied his fingers over the keys.

"I brought you food from your mom!"

Koushirou froze. His fingers dangled in the air.

"She said that she's been trying to call you all day, but she couldn't get through to your phone. So she called me and asked me to bring you a meal. She seemed worried about bothering you. 'Course I wasn't worried about _that_ —"

Koushirou swung open the door to face the taller boy. Taichi blinked in surprise. He held a green bento box in his hands. Koushirou immediately recognized the comforting smell of his mother's cooking.

"Come inside," Koushirou said. Taichi obliged, and Koushirou shut the door behind him. He sighed. "I made Mom worry…"

"You're making everyone worry! I texted you this morning too! You never showed up to school."

Koushirou shrugged. "There are more important things than school."

"I know, but—"

"School isn't going to teach me how to save our digimon partners. It's never taught me anything useful except for when to stay quiet and how to listen to boring people." Koushirou snatched the bento box from Taichi's hands and walked back to sit in his chair. "My parents don't worry about my grades anyway. Neither does the teacher. Everyone already knows I'm smart…" Koushirou sounded grim as he stared at his computer. He had already lost his train of thought from earlier. "Supposedly," he mumbled.

"Hey…" Taichi sounded unsure of himself. It was unusual for Koushirou to talk so bitterly. He grabbed an armchair and dragged it across the room to Koushirou's desk, so that they could sit side-by-side. "Don't say that. You're the smartest person I know. Of course we're not worried about your grades; we're worried about your mental health."

"Right." Koushirou regretted his harsh tone of voice. He looked away from the screen to his mother's box, and opened it up. The food was artfully arranged according to its colors, just as he always liked since he was little. "What did my mom say to you?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Taichi nudged Koushirou's phone on the desk towards him.

"Oh right…" Koushirou turned his cell phone back on. He saw that there were a half dozen messages waiting for him. He ignored them and called his home number. His mother answered on the first ring.

"Koushirou?" The ache in her voice broke his heart.

"Hi Mom."

"I've been trying to call you all day!"

"I know. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Don't worry about little old me. Did Taichi deliver your food?"

"Yes, he's here now. Thank you for thinking of me! You didn't have to do that."

"Of course I did! I'm your mother."

"Mom…"

"How are you feeling? Your forehead felt feverish this morning."

"You're exaggerating. Mom, you know that you're welcome in the office any time, right? It belongs to you and Dad. I won't enforce silly passwords on you."

"I know! I know. I just…I don't understand everything about the digimon, and I figured you'd be more likely to listen to a friend who did. I understand that you're doing important work to save Tentomon, and I don't want to get in the way."

"You never get in the way of anything. Never."

"I want you to come home and sleep."

"Oh—but—Mom, I can't! I'm _so close_. I can camp out here when I'm tired. The office is a better work environment with no distractions, and I can keep an eye on the digimon." Koushirou's eyes flickered to the digimon on the screen; they had all fallen asleep.

Mrs. Izumi sighed. Koushirou realized that he had called his mother a 'distraction,' and he felt mortified.

"Wait, I didn't mean—!"

"Koushirou, it's all right. But you _will_ come home tomorrow. Is that clear?"

"Yes Mom."

"Good. I'm glad."

"Thank you again for making me dinner."

"You're welcome! There's a little extra, so you can share with Taichi. Listen to him if he says you're overworking yourself."

"Mom—!"

"I love you, honey. So, so much. And I'm so proud of you."

"I love you too, Mom. More than anything else in the multiverse."

Mrs. Izumi chuckled. "Good night."

"Night Mom." Koushirou ended the call and sunk in his chair. He glanced at Taichi next to him, who was staring determinedly at the ceiling. "It's fine. I don't mind that you overheard. It's only you," Koushirou said to him.

Taichi smiled at the ceiling, but he turned serious when he looked back at his friend. He reached his hand over Koushirou's forehead.

"I don't have a fever!" Koushirou said defensively.

"Hm. I guess not…Unfortunately, I don't carry a thermometer on my person at all times, like Jou."

"Does Jou actually do that?"

"Yep. He'll stuff it in your mouth if you look the slightest bit sick, or if you're just being annoying."

Koushirou grinned. "I can picture which way you found out. But I'm not ill. My mother just worries too much." Koushirou slid the bento box between them and handed Taichi a pair of chopsticks. It wasn't until he took his first bite that he realized how hungry he was, and he started wolfing down his rice and tofu.

"Mm!" Taichi picked at the food slowly, somehow restraining himself since he had already eaten dinner. "Your mom's a great cook."

"Thank you. I mean—haha, I'm not my mom."

Taichi's smile widened. "You two are perfect for each other."

"What do you mean?"

"You and your mom. Both of you are always so worried about each other. And super polite about it! It's easy to see where you got your nice genes."

Koushirou hesitated, pondering his chopsticks.

"You always drop everything to talk to her. And your dad." Taichi shrugged, sensing that he was embarrassing his friend. "I'm just happy for you! You're kinda difficult to read, so it's a relief to me that you get along so well with your parents. At least I know you're always in good hands."

"You think I'm difficult?" Koushirou's voice wobbled.

"Agh—" Taichi fumbled. "I mean—it's only difficult for me! I'm not always sensitive, you know."

"I know."

"Ha." Taichi cleared his throat. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm glad your mom cooked you something, because I know you wouldn't have opened the door just for me!"

Koushirou swallowed. Taichi was probably only teasing him. Taichi liked to joke; he was good at lightening the mood that way. But Koushirou wasn't _sure_ if it was merely a joke, and that was embarrassing. To think that Taichi could be his best friend for a decade, and Koushirou still had trouble reading him…

"I would have let you in eventually," Koushirou mumbled.

"Thanks!" Taichi chuckled.

"I also find you difficult to understand. And I'm also insensitive. And I also worry about not being your best optional friend for you to talk to. So you shouldn't be embarrassed around me."

Taichi laughed loudly. "Thanks!" He set his chopsticks down and leaned his elbow on the desk, and his chin on his palm. He had an easy smile and warm brown eyes.

Koushirou's heart did a somersault and he swiftly re-focused on gobbling his food, keeping his eyes down.

"Koushirou, you're literally the easiest person for me to talk to. You're the best listener of all my friends. I try to be the same for you. I know I'm kind of loud though." He laughed again, infectious. It drew a smile on Koushirou's face. "My life is an open book for you. I can tell you everything."

"Thank you…" Koushirou said quietly. He finished the last few morsels in the box. "Everything?"

"Everything! No secrets allowed with you."

Koushirou paused, knowing that he was about to be impertinent. "Do you have any secrets right now?"

"Right now? Uh…" Taichi stroked his chin. "Trying to think of something interesting…I kissed Meiko on the cheek today."

Koushirou's heart thudded. "Oh." He smiled. "Does that mean you have a crush on her?"

"Maybe." He giggled. "Actually, Mimi kissed her on the cheek first, and then I did it afterwards—impulsively—I don't think she minded? I hope she didn't mind. It was sudden. But—yeah, I think I like her? She's got, you know, big boobs."

"Big boobs?"

"Oof, don't tell Sora I said that. I meant I like her nice personality. I like nice people. Like you!—And, you know, Sora. And Yamato. Well, he's not nice. I guess I only like Yamato for his sweet ass and fancy hair."

Koushirou started giggling in spite of himself.

"That's not much of a secret!" Taichi continued. "You already knew I was a doofus. Do you like anyone?"

Koushirou blushed. "I only fall for people who are way out of my league."

"Like, beneath you?"

Koushirou snorted; then he buckled over in hysterics, laughing and wheezing. He couldn't sit up straight for a full minute. Taichi joined him, happy for the rare sighting of a loudly overjoyed Koushirou.

Koushirou hugged himself and leaned back in his chair, breathing deeply. "…Sure."

"That's a bad habit. Just telling you. As your friend."

"Thanks for the warning, doofus."

Taichi slapped the desk and chortled.

Koushirou closed his eyes and smiled dreamily. After a long day, he felt so happy. So relaxed…At least, he should feel happy. He knew, objectively, that this was a happy situation. And yet there was a familiar anxiety, creeping in the back of his mind…Koushirou peeked over his shoulder. The digimon were still asleep.

"What's up?" Taichi asked.

"Actually, there is something I'd like to tell you." Koushirou whispered.

Taichi leaned closer. "Is it about our partners?" He scrunched his brow, preparing to listen to a complicated lecture.

"No. It's…about…me." Koushirou swallowed. He met Taichi's eyes. Taichi smiled warmly and nodded. But did he also look nervous? Was it right for Koushirou to suddenly change the topic to something serious? It shouldn't be this difficult to talk to his oldest friend.

Koushirou screwed up his courage.

"I'm adopted," he said.

"Oh!" Taichi's eyes widened. Whatever he had been expecting Koushirou to say, it wasn't that. He opened and closed his mouth, unsure how to respond. "I didn't know. You always look so perfect—Wait, forget I said that, uh—How do you feel about that?"

"I feel fine." Koushirou exhaled. It was like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. "It's not a big deal. Nothing's changed. My parents are still the same. I'm the same. I'm sorry that I never told you."

"Why would you apologize for that?"

"Because…" Koushirou's face flushed. "You're my best friend and you tell me everything. I've wanted to tell you so many times, but I…I kept panicking. I don't know why. I'm sorry. I know that you worry about intimidating me and Sora. It's not you. It's me. I-I don't know why I'm like this. Especially after you told me about Hikari and the hospital! It wasn't fair to you, that you told me your secret, and I n-never…"

"Hey." Taichi grasped Koushirou's hand. Koushirou stopped babbling. "It's okay. I'm not angry at you. Just surprised. Are you sure you feel fine?"

Koushirou nodded. "Yes…" It was hard to look at his eyes, so Koushirou stared at Taichi's hand instead, brown and calloused, fingers wrapped tightly around his own. "Well, I wasn't always fine. I was lonely, and…I think it's part of the reason I'm so quiet all the time. My adopted parents didn't tell me the truth until I was nine. It was right before we fought Vamdemon, actually. But I had figured out the truth years earlier. Because, you know, I'm so nosy…" Koushirou smiled weakly. "I guess that's why I took so long to tell you too. I take after them."

"You didn't owe me the truth," Taichi said. "That's awful that you had to wait so long for them."

"I don't blame them! They're very good parents! The best anyone could ask for. I—maybe I used to blame them, a little, but everything worked out. We're much closer now."

Taichi stroked his fingers. "Good. I understand that feeling…Do you know about your biological parents?"

"Yes. They're dead."

"I'm so sorry."

"It was a car crash. I was the only one who survived." Koushirou stopped talking as Taichi let go of his hand. Then he felt Taichi wrap his arms around his back and pull him into a hug. Koushirou sighed and leaned on the boy's chest, wishing he could melt like butter on toast.

Taichi eventually let go and sat back down. "I'm glad that you're alive."

"Thanks." Koushirou's heart skipped a beat and he continued. "I always imagined this conversation a little different. I thought that I'd tell you in my room. I have their old things, and I wanted to show you. There's a photo album, and their wedding rings, and some of their old books. They were college professors," he explained.

Taichi grinned. "Of course they were."

"Father was a mathematician, and Mother was an entomologist."

"What's that?"

"Entomology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of insects."

Taichi almost laughed. "That's incredible!"

"Isn't it?" Koushirou smiled back at him.

"Are you sure you feel fine?"

"Yes. I feel much better now. Thank you for hugging me. You always ended up doing that when I imagined this conversation."

Taichi covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing. "Am I that predictable?"

"Yes—" Koushirou's eyes widened as Taichi stood up and grabbed his waist, sweeping him off his feet. He spun him around and hugged him fiercely. Koushirou was breathless.

"Did you ever imagine that?" Taichi whispered in his ear.

"No," Koushirou replied. He felt weightless, his feet dangling over the ground. "I'm not that imaginative…" He stared at Taichi's lips.

Taichi held him there, their faces inches apart. He breathed out slowly. Then he set his friend back on his chair and returned to the seat next to him, not meeting his eyes.

Koushirou checked the digimon again. They were still sleeping, although Koushirou wouldn't put it past Tentomon to be pretending. "I should get back to work."

"Right!" Taichi's head snapped back up. "I'll just sleep on the—"

"You should go home."

"But I can—"

"You're a distraction." Koushirou said bluntly.

"Heh. Yeah." Taichi smiled, embarrassed.

Koushirou felt bad. "We can talk more tomorrow."

"Yeah! I want to see your photo album! I'll pick you up in the morning."

"That's not necessary…" Koushirou faltered under the boy's irresistible smile. "Okay."

"I'll see you at nine. Ah—thank you for putting in so much effort. We'd be lost without you."

"I know."

Taichi grinned one last time and walked to the door.

"Bye Taichi."

"Good night." The distraction left.

Koushirou sighed, overwhelmed. He couldn't believe that he finally told him. He had waited so long. He replayed the memory in his mind of Taichi lifting him up and spinning around…

He shook his head and hunched over the computer, sitting on the edge of his chair.


	7. Will I Ever See Him Again?

Taishiro Week Day 7 – Outside the Lines [Outside Canon, Filling Gaps, AUs, Drama CDs, etc]

Chapter 7 was inspired by "Whistle" from the drama CD _Digimon Adventure: Original Story, 2-and-a-half-year break_. You don't need to be familiar with it to appreciate my story, but it's worth your while to check it out on your own time.

* * *

 **Will I Ever See Him Again?**

It was a rainy day when Taichi visited the Izumi's apartment for the first time. Koushirou wasn't expecting his friend; he hadn't called. And Taichi had never come to his home before. They were friends, but not that close.

Of course, that was before the Digital World.

Koushirou was sitting at his desk, his tiny feet dangling above the floor, and reading a large tome titled _The Field Guide to Ladybugs_. His fourth grade text books were left untouched on the floor. The rain gently pattered on the window. A soothing sound, if not quite the same perfect soothing frequency of Tentomon's buzz. Koushirou wondered if it was possible to recreate that sound.

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Koushirou? Your friend is here to see you."

"My friend?"

His mother opened his bedroom door. A very wet boy stood next to her. He smiled nervously. It took Koushirou a minute to realize who it was.

"Taichi?"

"Hey Koushirou!"

"You cut your hair," Koushirou stated the obvious.

Taichi ran his hand over the top of his head. He could easily feel his scalp now. His hair was a little messy on the sides of his ears, as if he had cut it himself. "Yeah," he said.

"Is this a good time for a play date?" Mrs. Izumi asked her studious son. "He just showed up without any warning!" She laughed.

"Yes." Koushirou nodded and pushed away his field guide. "I already finished my math worksheets."

Mrs. Izumi smiled at him proudly. "That's very good! I'll leave you two alone then. How about I make you both some hot chocolate?"

"That would be lovely," Koushirou said formally.

"Yeah, thanks," Taichi agreed. He stared at the floor.

Mrs. Izumi squeezed Taichi's shoulder before leaving. She shut the door behind her. Taichi sighed. He looked smaller with his haircut. More vulnerable.

Koushirou realized that he didn't have a second chair for his friend, so he hopped off and sat on his bed instead. He patted the spot next to him. Taichi sat beside him but didn't meet his eyes.

It was unnerving to see Taichi act like this. Although, by now, Koushirou had seen that forlorn look in Taichi's eyes many times. It was still difficult to know the right words to say.

"How are you?" Taichi asked.

"I'm well," Koushirou answered the pointless conversation starter. "You quit the soccer club," he stated the obvious again.

"Yeah," Taichi agreed. "Um, I wasn't playing that well."

"You can't possibly be worse than me."

Taichi laughed.

"Because you're not in the soccer club anymore, I haven't been able to see you every day like I used to," Koushirou continued.

Taichi finally met Koushirou's eyes. "I'm here now," he said.

"Yes. I see you," Koushirou stated.

Taichi paused. "Koushirou…"

"Yes Taichi?"

"Will I ever see him again?"

Koushirou bit his lip. He didn't need to ask who 'he' was. "I don't know."

Taichi sighed. "It's scary hearing you say those words. Whenever you didn't know something, I knew we were lost."

Koushirou blanched. "You're not being logical. We were never truly lost. We made it home, largely thanks to your leadership."

"But I felt lost _in here_ all the time," Taichi pointed at his heart. "Or, er, _here_." Taichi corrected himself and pointed to his brain. "Does that make sense?"

"I suppose so," Koushirou answered, not sure if it did. "Taichi, if you want to talk about your emotions, then I think you'd be better off talking to Sora. Or Yamato. They're both better at that sort of thing."

Taichi scowled. "Has Yamato talked to you about our digimon partners yet?"

Koushirou blinked. "No?"

"He says we'll never see them again."

"Oh…" Koushirou tapped his chin, pondering this idea. "Yamato doesn't actually know that to be a fact. Unless he has information that I don't?"

"He doesn't," Taichi said bitterly.

"Then you don't need to take his argument seriously," Koushirou responded.

"He's already convinced Sora."

"Oh…" Koushirou faltered.

"I mean—Sora is nicer about it, of course," Taichi continued, defending her. "She just says that we have to be prepared for the possibility that we won't see them again. But with Yamato—it's almost like he doesn't _want_ to see them again! He's so stubborn! And he said that I was being like Takeru, who still thinks their parents will get back together."

"That's really not my business—"

"I'm not like Takeru! I'm way older than him."

"I know."

"I'm more mature than that!"

"I know."

Taichi hiccupped. He buried his face in his hands. "Sora always takes Yamato's side now. They're both more mature than me. I keep—I keep worrying that they'll both grow up without me. And I won't have Agumon anymore."

"Taichi…" Koushirou said softly.

There was a quick knock on the door and it opened. Both boys sat up straight. Mrs. Izumi walked in with a tray of two hot chocolates. She smiled and carefully set it beside them. They both thanked her.

"How are you boys doing?" she asked, looking specifically at Taichi.

"Fine," Taichi muttered.

"We're fine…" Koushirou agreed tentatively.

Mrs. Izumi reached forward and stroked Taichi's messy short hair. "Good. I know you two have been through a lot, and you need some space…Let me know if there's anything else you need, okay?"

"Okay." Taichi blushed and sipped his hot chocolate.

"Thanks, Mom. I'll let you know if we want more." Koushirou smiled at her.

Mrs. Izumi smiled back at her son. She let go of Taichi and finally left the room. Taichi sighed again after she closed the door.

Koushirou sipped his warm drink. It cleared his mind. "Taichi, I don't think you should worry about Sora and Yamato leaving you alone. It's obvious to me that they both care about you a lot. I believe that they're merely worried about you. They must have also noticed that you quit the soccer club and cut your hair. Those are troubling signs."

"Why is it a troubling sign that I cut my hair?"

"Because you look terrible," Koushirou said flatly.

Taichi spat out his drink and burst into laughter. Koushirou grinned.

"Oof, sorry…" Taichi looked around for a towel. Koushirou picked up a napkin from the tray and knelt next to the small puddle on the floor to clean it up. Taichi immediately grabbed the other napkins and hopped down next to him. He scrubbed the mess and his hand bumped into Koushirou's hand. "Sorry!"

"It's okay." Koushirou smiled at him.

Taichi smiled back; then he looked away awkwardly. He stood up to fetch the tray of hot chocolate from the bed and he brought it down to the floor. "We shouldn't drink on your bed or we'll get it dirty. We should drink on the floor; it'll be like one of Hikari's tea parties with our stuffed animals."

"Okay," Koushirou agreed. It was good to hear Taichi using his authoritative voice again.

"Thanks, by the way. I know you're right. About Sora and Yamato," Taichi continued.

"You're welcome. I merely pointed out the obvious…I do that a lot." Koushirou felt emboldened. He looked at the door, where his mother had just left, and back to Taichi. "Have you considered talking to your parents about Agumon?"

"Uh…" Taichi blushed again.

"It's just a thought," Koushirou said rapidly. "They might be more competent than me at comforting you. I know you've had challenges with them. But I've observed that they seem to care a lot about you. Am I wrong?"

"No, you're not wrong. You're right. Like always." Taichi sipped his drink. "I guess I could be more open with them. It wouldn't hurt anything."

Koushirou nodded encouragingly.

"But you're not incompetent. You never were. It's very easy to talk to you."

"Oh!" Koushirou wasn't expecting that. He buried his face in his mug, flustered.

"Thanks for listening to me." Taichi gulped down the rest of his mug in one long drink. He set it down with an ' _Aaah._ '

"You're welcome." Koushirou set his mug down as well. "Actually, I have something else to say."

"What is it?" Taichi asked.

"I think that Yamato is incorrect to compare our digimon partners with his parents," Koushirou began. "The loss must feel similar to him emotionally, but he's missing the big picture. One significant difference is that Yamato doesn't have any control of the situation with his parents."

Taichi stared at Koushirou in amazement. "You're saying that we can control when we see our digimon?"

"No…" Koushirou twisted around and reached for his bag. He dug out his digivice and showed it to Taichi. "I'm saying that we _could_ control when we see them, _hypothetically_."

"But you don't know," Taichi said. He smiled widely. "I understand now!"

"I've taken this thing apart and put it back together ten times by now."

"Wow! Really?"

"Yes. It's a magical device that doesn't work by the rules of our dimension, so it's challenging to understand. But I don't think it's impossible to figure it out." Koushirou frowned at it. "Somewhere in this thing is a key to opening the Digital Gate."

"Yeah!" Taichi sounded more hopeful. "Do you want to dissect mine too?"

"That would be most useful. Are you sure you don't mind?"

"I don't mind! The digivices aren't nearly as important as the digimon!"

Koushirou smiled, relieved. He hadn't dared to ask anyone else to part with their most precious souvenir of the Digital World. "I feel the same way!"

"We should keep a close eye on computer screens too! In case the Gate ever spontaneously opens on one of them."

Koushirou nodded. "That's a good idea."

Taichi paused. "Are we being too hopeful…?"

Koushirou snorted. "I don't care. I've already decided that I'm going to dedicate my life to finding the Digital World again."

Taichi stared at him. He opened and closed his mouth. "Koushirou…You're incredible."

"Thank you, Taichi. That means a lot to me, coming from you."

Taichi laughed. A soothing sound. Koushirou smiled.

"I want to dedicate my life to the Digital World too," Taichi continued. "There's so much that we never even got to see!"

"Yes!" Koushirou agreed. "There must be some way to open and close the Gate on command. We only need to create the proper technology for it."

"Can I help? I don't know how I could help you…" Taichi faltered.

Koushirou considered. There were so many topics he wanted to discuss with Taichi. So many ideas he wanted to bounce off of his friend. About the Digital World. About their crests. About parallel universes. About—mundane things. Video games. Chess. Soccer. And about personal things too. Koushirou's eyes flickered to his closet, where there was a photo album and two wedding rings carefully hidden away. But—surely it was inappropriate to bring that up _right now_.

Taichi was his best friend, and he wanted to share everything with him. But it was difficult for Koushirou to tell if Taichi felt the same way about him. Taichi always seemed to be surrounded by much cooler friends. Koushirou didn't want to be selfish. Taichi's sunny smile was for everyone, not just him.

Taichi coughed and scratched his head. Koushirou finally saw that Taichi was just as nervous as he was. _I really need to stop overthinking things. It's clear that Taichi enjoys spending time with me. I shouldn't forget that_ , he mentally reprimanded himself.

Koushirou leaned forward. "Can you keep me company while I work?"

His friend smiled disarmingly, and Koushirou's heart melted.

"I could get used to that," Taichi answered.


	8. Business Trip

Taishiro Week Day 8 – Future [Epilogue]

* * *

 **Business Trip**

Taichi glanced at the clock again. His meeting with the Digitamamon and Vegiemon was now running fifty minutes late. They insisted that they would not accept Japanese yen in their Digital World restaurants, as much as Taichi tried to explain to them that they would not gain any Japanese human customers that way. The Minister of Tourism and the mayor of Tokyo, also sitting in the room, were at their wits' end.

"Working with these things is _impossible!_ " The mayor shouted, his face a volcanic shade of red. One of the Vegiemon sniggered.

"They came all the way to our world to meet with us. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt," Taichi said in the most patient voice he could muster. It certainly didn't help that the mayor kept calling the digimon 'things.' He glanced at his watch. _Fifty-one minutes late_. He was supposed to meet Koushirou a half-hour ago. He took a deep breath and forced himself to smile.

"Colleagues, this discussion is going nowhere," Taichi began. "I propose that we adjourn and meet again next week on Monday—same time, same place. I'll make some calls to see if we have the funding for a currency exchange department in the Digital World."

"Can we meet before next week?" The tourism minister asked. She looked exhausted.

"I can't. I have to leave for my business trip tonight," Taichi answered. "This restaurant issue isn't urgent," he continued.

The minister raised her eyebrows. "A _business trip_?"

"Yes. I have an urgent diplomatic mission to visit the Queen of Quad-Core Kingdom in the Digital World. We want to compare the bacteria in the Digital World's Router River with our world's Tone River and—well, it's complicated. Professor Izumi will write a paper on it later. After I get the queen's permission for him to study there."

"But didn't you _just come back_ from your honeymoon?" The minister whispered.

Taichi grinned and shushed her, gesturing towards the angry mayor, who was currently shaking his fist at the digimon.

The minister sighed. "Have fun on your _urgent diplomatic mission_ ," she said.

"Oh, I'm planning on it," Taichi responded.

The largest Digitamamon stood up on his chair. "Very well, Yagami! We will return to your world for a meeting next week," he asserted. "BUT! I'll need you to work in my restaurant to repay for my wasted time here!"

"Nope," Taichi retorted.

The Digitamamon grumbled. It was hard to argue with Taichi when he wore that stern expression.

"Good evening everyone. This was a good first try," Taichi said optimistically as he stuffed his paperwork into his briefcase. "I'll be unreachable until Monday. Bye!" He flashed a dazzling smile and waved before bolting out of the room.

" _I hear that Router River is beautiful in the fall!"_ Taichi heard one of the Vegiemon say on his way out. He laughed as he ran down the hallway of the Japanese-Digital World Embassy. It was a lovely little office building with a garden in front, just a few blocks away from the National Diet. Construction had just finished last year. Taichi almost tripped over a Geckomon as he skidded around the corner.

"Hey hey! Watch where you're going!" The Geckomon tooted his horn at the ambassador.

"Sorry man!" Taichi apologized. He bowed respectfully to the frog and kept running. He just needed to pick up his suitcase in his office, and then he would call Koushirou on the phone to apologize. He fumbled with his keys and opened his door, and stepped into—

Taichi's jaw dropped. His office was covered in sunflowers. They were taped to the walls, their tall stems almost reaching from floor to ceiling. In the center of the room was a large vase that held a dozen of them, looming above his head. "What is this…?" He walked forward and whipped his head around, looking for the culprit.

His swivel chair spun around and there was Koushirou, waiting for him with an eager smile. "SURPRISE!" He leapt out of the chair and jumped onto Taichi, throwing his arms around his neck and wrapping his legs around his waist.

Taichi quickly caught the man and held him tight. He laughed. "Koushi—!"

Koushirou grabbed his face and kissed him. Taichi kissed him back and spun around, grateful that he was still strong enough for this trick. He spun until dizziness settled in and Koushirou erupted into giggles.

Taichi opened his mouth. "What are you—?" Koushirou pecked his lips, interrupting him again.

"You kept me waiting for 56 minutes and 34 seconds," Koushirou said.

"I'm sorry—oh come on, you did not count the seconds!" Taichi insisted.

"You kept me waiting for _a very long time_."

"Well…I'm here now."

Koushirou smiled dreamily and kissed him again, long and slow. "Yes…And that's all that matters," he said at last, resting his head on the man's chest.

Taichi gently lowered his dearest friend so that he could stand on the ground, and he tried not to look like it was because he was old and tired. "Seriously, what is this all about?"

"I took a stroll in the Digital World this morning…" Koushirou drummed his fingers on Taichi's chest. "And I saw these sunflowers along the road. And I thought of you."

Taichi kissed his forehead gratefully. "Thank you. They're beautiful."

"I know!"

"But…" Taichi sounded exasperated. "We'll be in the Digital World for the next week! I won't be in my office to enjoy them! Why did you decorate my office the day we're leaving?"

Koushirou met his eyes and blinked bashfully. "I am not a practical romantic. It was an impulsive, sudden decision. I saw so many sunflowers and I couldn't stop thinking about how much I loved—"

Taichi kissed him again. He felt Koushirou go weak in his arms, and then his partner responded enthusiastically, passionately. Taichi broke away. "I love you too."

"Mmm…" Koushirou agreed and hugged him tight.

"Did you bring your suitcase?" Taichi asked.

"Yes."

"Did you remember to drop off Hotaru?"

"Yes. She's with her Aunt Hikari."

Taichi let go of him and walked to his phone. "I'll tell Hikari to come pick up the sunflowers. That way she and Hotaru can enjoy them."

"Ah yes. Good idea." Koushirou sat back down as Taichi dialed the phone.

Hikari answered on the first ring. "Aren't you supposed to be gone by now?" She asked her brother.

Taichi chuckled. "Yes, but there's a slight complication. Koushirou decided to give me sunflowers—"

"Aww!"

"And unfortunately I can't bring them with me. So can you pick them up?"

"Hmph. Fine."

"I gave you the keys to this place, right?"

"Yes, you did! I forced you to."

"Oh, you'll want to bring Tailmon to help you carry. There's…a lot—"

"There's seventy-three!" Koushirou interrupted.

"There's seventy-three giant sunflowers in here," Taichi repeated.

Hikari let out a low whistle. "He sure loves you!"

"Yeah…For some reason." Taichi ran his hand through his hair. It was growing out again, a tad unprofessional. But then again, Koushirou liked long hair. And so did Taichi. "Thanks a million, Hikari. I owe you one."

"I'll add it to your tab," Hikari said dryly.

"They're really pretty. You'll love them."

"Thanks. Maybe I'll put them in my classroom."

"That'd be perfect. Bye—"

"Wait one minute, buster! Don't go until you say goodbye to your daughter!" Hikari interrupted him. Then Taichi heard a baby cooing on the other end of the line. He sighed happily.

"I'll see you on Monday, Hotaru. I love you."

Hikari giggled. "Hotaru says that she loves you too. I can see it in her eyes."

Taichi smiled. Suddenly Koushirou snatched the phone out of his hand.

"I want to say good bye to Hotaru again!" Koushirou said, beaming.

"Hotaru says, _I love you too Papa_. I can tell," Hikari said.

"Thanks again, Hikari. You're the best family I could ever ask for. I love you too," Koushirou said. Taichi overheard his sister laugh on the other end of the line, and he saw Koushirou blush. "Sorry, that was a bit dramatic…"

"It's fine. I understand. Have a fun trip, and don't let my brother do anything stupid! Love ya."

"Good bye, Hikari," Koushirou said formally, and he hung up the phone.

"Come on, let's go," Taichi said. He already had his suitcase in hand. "We just need to get briefed by Ms. Deneuve on Quad-Core, and then we're on our way. She's the French-Digital World Ambassador, and floral digimon are her specialty—"

"What? You mean we've been keeping someone else waiting this whole time?!"

"Er, yeah—"

"I thought we would just be using your office computer to leave!"

"No, I have to get briefed and sign out formally for interdimensional business trips—"

Koushirou sighed and picked up his suitcase from under the desk. " _Honestly_ , Taichi. You know I don't like being _rude_." He led the way out the door and Taichi followed. They immediately ran into a flock of Penguinmon.

"Hello hello! Mr. Yagami!" Each of the Penguinmon greeted the familiar friendly human ambassador. "Who's this?" One of them asked, gesturing to Koushirou.

Taichi smiled and laid his hand gently on Koushirou's shoulder. "This is Professor Izumi. He works at the University of Tokyo—"

"I'm his _husband!_ " Koushirou yelled gleefully. He waggled his left hand in front of the Penguinmon, showing off a golden wedding ring that used to belong to his biological father. The Penguinmon cheered and all said 'Congratulations!' in high-pitched voices.

"Thank you," Taichi said and bowed to them. He gripped Koushirou tighter and steered him away from the birds towards the elevator. "You have to be more careful here," he whispered. "The crowd can get a bit more conservative than at the university."

"Digimon don't care about that sort of thing," Koushirou said flatly.

"I know, but the humans…"

"I don't care what people think of me," Koushirou said. "Boring people don't matter."

Taichi sighed and let go of him so he could press the button for the elevator. They were silent as they waited for the door to open. Then they wordlessly walked inside. The elevator had a glass wall facing the outside, so they could see all of Tokyo as they rose up.

Koushirou fidgeted. "I'm sorry. I know it's a requirement of your job that you have to worry about boring people. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that."

Taichi smiled at him. "Don't worry about it. You're right, like always."

Koushirou smiled back at him.

Then they both dropped their suitcases and grabbed each other, kissing each other again. The elevator door started to open and Taichi immediately pushed the button to close it, so they kept rising. He pushed Koushirou against the wall and started nibbling his neck.

"Ah, Taichi…"

"Yeah?"

"Our honeymoon was _much_ too short."

"Mm-hm. Mm-hm."

"That was the only frustrating thing about it. Everything else was just as I always dreamed of…"

"Me too." Taichi met his eyes. "Just remember that this is first and foremost a business trip—"

Koushirou rolled his eyes and kissed him, cutting him off.

Then they reached the top floor and the door opened. Catherine Deneuve was waiting on the other side, sitting in front of a large computer screen and reading a novel. When she saw the two men kissing, her eyes widened.

Taichi laughed nervously and stepped out of the elevator with Koushirou. " _Hello Ms. Deneuve!_ " he said in English. " _I'm sorry that we kept you waiting. I had a meeting that went on an hour late._ "

Catherine smiled and nodded. " _It's fine. I was actually late too._ "

" _Great!_ "

Koushirou leaned against Taichi and held his hand, intertwining their fingers. "She won't care. She's French. They're all romantics," he said confidently.

Taichi sighed. "Koushirou, in my line of work, you learn not to stereotype people like that."

Catherine giggled. "I can speak Japanese, remember?"

"Oh riiiight…" Taichi face-palmed, recalling the first time he met Catherine in 2002. Koushirou and Catherine both laughed.

"I am a bit of a romantic," Catherine confessed. She showed them that she had just been reading _Jane Eyre_. "Are you two…?" She stopped herself, not knowing how to finish the question politely.

"We're married, yes. Just last month." Taichi showed off his left hand. He wore a gold ring with a black diamond. Apparently, it had been the same color as Koushirou's biological mother's eyes. Taichi loved the way it sparkled in the light. Koushirou immediately waved his hand next to Taichi's, looking positively smug.

Catherine gasped and clapped her hands together. "Is that legal?"

"Partnerships are legal in some cities," Koushirou answered. "But _everything_ is legal in the Digital World!"

Catherine looked very happy to hear that. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, speaking of the Digital World—"

"Right, onto business." Taichi agreed.

"The Queen of Quad-Core Kingdom is a Blossomon, an Ultimate Level. She's the largest of her type I've ever seen. They're normally peaceful monsters, but this one has a volatile personality. I believe that she's grown suspicious of humans since the ambassadors from the United States visited her…" Catherine continued her story, catching the men up on the recent history of Quad-Core. She had many useful tips on how to best address the floral royal court, and what kind of gifts the queen liked, and where they could find such gifts.

Taichi was confident in his ability to handle the situation with diplomacy. But he was also sure that he and Koushirou could handle themselves in a fight, if there was an emergency.

"Agumon and Tentomon are waiting for us on the other side, right?" Taichi asked his partner.

"Yes, of course," Koushirou answered. "They've scouted the area already."

Taichi sighed in relief. "Good. I miss him."

"Taichi." Koushirou sounded exasperated. "It has been _one day_ since you last saw Agumon."

"Yeah, but…I still miss him!"

"You're ridiculous."

Catherine giggled at the married couple. "Do you have any other questions about Quad-Core or Blossomon?"

"Nah, we're good," Taichi answered.

"Then good luck! I wish you both well." Catherine packed away her books and left in the elevator.

Taichi faced the large computer screen and pulled out his digivice from his pocket. "Koushirou…"

"Yeah?"

"Did I ever thank you for modifying these things?" Taichi asked.

"Did you ever thank me for modifying our digivices so that we could open the Digital Gate on command?" Koushirou clarified.

"Yeah. Did I do that?"

"Only a million times. And don't forget that Miyako did most of the work. She's a better mechanic than me and she had a D-3 to work with as comparison."

"Thanks again. I can't thank you enough." Taichi squeezed Koushirou's shoulder and held his digivice to the screen. "Digital Gate, ope—!"

Koushirou yanked Taichi's tie and pulled his face down for another kiss, as the light from their digivices enveloped them and pulled them into the computer, and they were transported through the Gate—

And they were falling, falling, spinning through a million pixels

And lights

Orange, violet, pink

Spinning

Spinning

Colors and shapes everywhere, slowly taking form

Through space and time

From Dinosaurs to Robots

F

A

L

L

I

N

G

Until they became reality in the Digital World.

THE END

…

…

 **Acknowledgments:**

Many of the ideas in this story were inspired by my sister's writing. I owe my greatest thanks to her. She is wonderful and I wish I knew how to tell her how much I love her.

Thank you for reading my story. I worked hard on it!

Thank you for all your supportive comments. If you've been reading from the shadows, I'd love to hear from you now! Writing fanfiction is lonely work, and your comments give me company.

Special thanks to my readers who don't use English as their first language. I don't know what I did to deserve you.

Thank you to my LGBT+ readers. _SATR_ is dedicated to you.

And very special thanks to Peach, who organized Taishiro Week. Thank you for creating a welcoming space in the digimon fandom that encourages shy nerds like me to come out of the woodwork. I wouldn't have written these stories if it weren't for you.

And at the very least, writing these stories made me feel happy.


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